“What are those?” Tynaer asked.
“These are the oil—or acid—that the wyverns produce from their uvula. I’ve tested a few of them, but like cattle, we can ‘milk’ them in a sense, to gather the oils they produce. They replenish them rather quickly.”
“What do you propose we do with their … milk?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’ve only studied them briefly … and I’m no alchemist. However, the orange translucent liquid is from the red wyvern, and it is extremely flammable. A few drops can create a large camp-sized fire. A small puddle … well, my eyebrows are still growing back.”
Tynaer raised a brow while squinching his lips.
“This jar”—he pointed to the jar with a light blue liquid inside—“is from the blue wyvern. It burns to the touch … instantly giving you frostbite. I’ve also tested it on other things as well. It instantly freezes anything it touches, provided you use enough of it. A drop will freeze an insect inside of ice for hours … all harmless to the little bug, because when the ice breaks away, it is still alive and well. It takes a few drops to completely freeze a squirrel, but it’s the same concept.”
“Squirrel?” Tynaer asked.
Devarius shrugged. “There is some wildlife in the mountains, though very little. Mostly small critters, but Ayla caught this squirrel for me.”
“What do the wyverns eat?”
“Fish.”
“I hope they don’t eat our livestock … we’ll need them to survive.”
“I’ll ask Ayla to explain that to the other wyverns.”
Tynaer nodded.
Devarius pointed to the third jar. It was full of a bubbling green liquid. “This is from the green wyvern. It’s the same acid it spits from its mouth, though it seems to be stronger since it isn’t mixed with the air from its exhalations, which makes it spread out in more of a mist.”
“Let me guess … it can eat through things.”
“Everything I’ve tried it on except glass.”
“Interesting,” Tynaer said. “And the last … the yellow ooze?”
“That’s from the gold wyvern. It’s … I don’t know. Liquid lightning? If such a thing exists. A drop will make a bug look like it’s been zapped with lightning. I don’t know exactly how it works, but I wouldn’t touch it with your bare hands. In fact … I wouldn’t touch any of this with your bare hands.”
“I see. What are you planning to do with all of it?”
“I don’t know. As I said, I’m not an alchemist. However, I believe it is a good idea to collect it. We may come up with some ideas on how to use these oils and acids against the Dragonia Empire.”
“I agree.” Tynaer sighed.
“What’s wrong?”
“As if we don’t have enough things to do, now we need to collect sand and gather some glassworkers to create more jars.”
Devarius laughed.
39
Over the next several weeks, everyone worked together to build a city. They erected several buildings, focusing on the craftsman shops first. They started with two blacksmith shops, two lumber mills, two glass shops, and several seamstress shops. Homes were their last concern. They needed places for the people to work.
Devarius walked the streets, listening to the pounding of blacksmith hammers and sawing from lumber mills. At the center of the growing city, men had already begun working on the keep. Stones were being secured in place, gathered from the mountains.
If Devarius hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed a city could be built so fast. Nearly all of the lumber Tynaer had brought to the island had been used. Hundreds of saddles had been made for the wyverns, and warriors had begun training aerial combat once more, except this time they could train every day without too much pain. The wyverns’ backs were wider than a horse’s, not by too much, but enough to make it feel like riding a horse for the first time again. Devarius had begged for a saddle for his wyvern, and after days of relentless pleading, Tynaer allowed the leatherworker to make one. At first Tynaer hadn’t wanted Ayla to have a saddle yet because she hadn’t finished growing, and would only grow out of the saddle, but Devarius insisted it could be used on other young wyverns to practice with a rider.
After weeks of training with the wyverns, the two species formed a bond with each other. While the wyverns didn’t have a language the humans could understand, they could understand the humans. Devarius tried to understand how the wyverns communicated, but he couldn’t quite figure it out. Sometimes they made animal noises to each other, but other times, all they did was look at each other and seem to understand. He wondered if they had a vocal language at all, or if they were more like ants, speaking without words. Granted, wyverns didn’t have feelers. Once the wyverns fully trusted the humans, they began to bring their eggs into camp. After they quelled a few humans who looked at the eggs greedily with hunger, Devarius and Tynaer began organizing them by color. Of all the wyverns and wyvern eggs, the silver was the rarest. Tynaer had claimed one of the silver wyverns as his companion, which Devarius thought suited the “hardened steel” captain well.
Each day, they had men and women who hadn’t bonded with a wyvern yet go to the eggs, which were guarded by Aquila, and pick up a few eggs to hold. Sometimes, an egg would hatch, and the wyvern would bond with the person. The first person to have an egg hatch for them, besides Devarius months prior, was Aquila. She had decided not to try and bond with a wyvern like many of the others. Devarius had learned she had been afraid of the wyverns at first. She created the first hatchling bond on the island, making Devarius and Tynaer deem it appropriate that she look after the eggs. With her wyvern too small to practice flight, and hundreds more men and women still desiring to bond with a wyvern, it seemed logical for someone to keep everything organized, lest everyone swarm around touching eggs all day long with no order.
Devarius entered the courtyard where Aquila stood in front of the hundreds of eggs. Six separate piles were formed behind her, and one at a time, she let someone approach one of the piles. They each got to choose which pile to approach, but they could only approach one, and if a wyvern didn’t hatch, they would have to try again the next day. The red sunlight glistened off Aquila’s brown skin, making it shine a beautiful hue. Devarius smiled as he watched her. She was beautiful. He wished he could return her affection, but he was not worthy. She deserved so much better. Yet, he couldn’t help but admire her beauty from afar. She was his best friend. Besides Paedyn, he’d known Aquila longer than anyone else. Paedyn and Aquila were the only ones who were around after Devarius lost his family. If not for them, he would have probably gotten himself killed seeking revenge. He was grateful to have them.
A hand clasped his shoulder. Devarius flinched. He spun around to see Paedyn standing behind him.
“Everything all right?” Devarius asked.
“Is everything all right with you?”
Devarius tilted his head. “Of course.”
“Why don’t you tell her, mate?”
“Tell who what?”
Paedyn smiled. “You know who I’m talking about.”
“It would never work between us.”
“Because you won’t let it,” Paedyn said.
Devarius shook his head. “I would only hurt her. She doesn’t need that.”
“She wants that. I’ve seen the way she looks at you; she’d rather take the chance to be hurt with you than pursue anyone else.”
“I won’t let myself hurt her. I can’t do that to her. She deserves better. She deserves someone who can be there for her. I can’t be there for her.”
“And why not?” Paedyn asked.
Devarius stared deep into Paedyn’s eyes. “Because I will not rest, not even for a moment, until I find my sister, and every son of a toadstool who harmed her along the way. I can’t let her get between me and—”
“Your revenge?”
“I can’t help it. I can’t let it go. Zaviana’s the only one who’s left in my family …
and if I grow attached to anyone … anyone at all … I’m afraid—”
“You’re afraid you’ll give up the search?” Paedyn asked.
Devarius dipped his head. “Yes.”
Paedyn squeezed Devarius’s shoulder. “I understand.”
Tynaer strode over to them, his brows furrowed as he glanced to Paedyn’s hand on Devarius’s shoulder. “If you two lovebirds aren’t busy … we have pressing matters.”
Paedyn relinquished his hold on Devarius’s shoulder. They met Tynaer’s eyes and nodded.
“What is it, Captain?’ Paedyn asked.
“We’re running low on lumber, and we’re going to need a lot more of it to finish this city. We’re using most of the stone we mine for the keep, which will be important for a defense if we ever need one, but we need homes.”
“I noticed the lumber was growing low. What do you propose? Another trip to Kaeldroga with the three ships, this time for lumber only?”
Tynaer bit his lip. “I actually had something else in mind … something that may be a bit faster.” He rubbed the tip of his nose. “Do you think we could tie several trees to the back of a wyvern? And more importantly … do you think they would mind us doing so?”
Devarius scratched his chin. “Hmm … interesting.” He shrugged. “There’s only one way to find out.”
40
After two weeks of transporting lumber by wyvern, they’d accumulated hundreds of trees. However, even with how hard everyone was working on the island, they had to continue to gather lumber. At the speed they were going, it was possible to have the city built in less than a year. Devarius and Tynaer considered transporting by ship, but it would take decades to build a city. They needed a city on Adeth Peak Isle to have a chance to defeat the empire. Devarius traveled with them to Kaeldroga sometimes to practice aerial moves with Ayla. She wasn’t large enough to transport lumber, but it was good flight practice.
Devarius watched as another silver wyvern was loaded with lumber. The silver wyverns were the strongest, and able to carry the most. They only had five of them, so they used every one of them for lumber. Only four wyverns were with them, as one was already on its journey to Adeth Peak Isle. He watched as they tied the lumber securely to a wyvern’s back. Once loaded, the creature flew into the sky, west toward the island.
Devarius turned to look at the last three wyverns ready for their loads of lumber. Ayla sat by his side. Progress was going well.
“Come on, Ayla. Let’s go home.”
Ayla perked up, flapping her wings with excitement.
Devarius strode over to her, rested his hand on her neck, and was about to climb atop the saddle on her back, when a roar shattered their world into silence. Ayla shivered. Devarius trembled.
Both of them glanced up to the sky. A single dragonrider on a magnificent red beast flew above them. It slowed as it descended. The dragon’s mouth opened and a shriek filled the air, a shriek so loud that Devarius had to cover his ears. It landed at the edge of the camp, its crimson scales glistening in the sunlight. A light snow began to descend from the sky. Winter had begun.
The three wyverns turned to face the lone dragonrider. They were mere dogs to an elephant. The dragon was enormous. What chance did they really stand against a dragonrider? The dragon opened its massive jaw, and a flame larger than anything Devarius had ever seen before erupted from its mouth. He flinched. The three wyverns braced themselves, their scales turning into steel as the flame flowed around them. The men gathering lumber screamed as the fire consumed them.
Devarius’s eyes widened as the flame continued on toward him. He closed his eyes, hoping his death wouldn’t hurt too much. Nothing happened. He opened one eye to see Ayla in front of him, her jaw wide and an icy mist flowing out. When the mist and fire met, both ceased to exist, replaced with water droplets that fell to the ground.
Devarius exhaled. A dozen men rushed toward him, fear on their faces. Devarius’s heart leapt into his throat. One of the men who’d survived was Tynaer. When he reached Devarius, he clasped his hand on Devarius’s shoulder.
“We’re finished, lad. You need to take Ayla and flee from here. Warn the others. We were foolish to not bring at least a few practicing wyvernriders with us.”
Devarius’s jaw dropped. “I can’t just leave you here.”
Tynaer’s hand tightened on Devarius’s shoulder. “You must. If there is any chance to defeat the Dragonia Empire, it lies with you. You unlocked the secrets of the wyverns. They’re not as strong as dragons … but we have something they don’t.”
“What’s that?” Devarius asked.
“You. You’re smarter than all these wool-headed empire soldiers. But, you must survive.”
“I—”
“Go. We will hold the dragon off while you make your escape.”
A dozen more shrieks filled the air, all too far away to be from the dragon. They looked to the east.
“More are coming, there is no time to waste. Go, warn the others. We cannot defeat them … we haven’t had enough time to train,” Tynaer said.
Devarius stood there, motionless, dumbfounded. He didn’t know what to do. His vision blurred, he turned his head from the dragon to Captain Tynaer.
“That’s an order, Devarius.”
Devarius gulped. Tynaer squeezed his shoulder one last time before unsheathing his sword and running toward the dragon. Devarius watched as Tynaer climbed atop a wyvern’s bare back.
“Ayla …” he whispered.
Ayla turned to him, sadness filling her eyes. She knew what they must do.
“We need to leave.”
Devarius climbed atop her, securing himself in her saddle. “But despite what captain Tynaer says … I believe we can defeat them. We just need to reach the wyvernriders in time.” He brushed his hands through his hair. “We’ll return with an army of wyvernriders.”
Ayla leapt into the air, and they flew away as fast as the small wyvern could carry them.
41
Ayla crossed the Drakeos Sea faster than she ever had before. A trip that normally took an hour, took only half the time. When they landed on the island, the urgency was plain on their faces. People surrounded them. Worried expressions filled everyone’s face.
Paedyn strode over to Devarius. “What has happened?”
“The dragonriders have found us.”
Paedyn’s eyes bulged. “How many?”
Devarius glanced around. “I’m not sure …” He cleared his throat. “When I left there was only one, but it was enormous. At least five times the size of a full-grown wyvern. However, it called the others to it. I heard shrieks in the east responding to its call. I don’t know how many are coming.”
Aquila rushed over to them. “Are they coming here?”
“No. I believe I escaped unnoticed. Tynaer ordered me to leave. He ordered me to survive … but I can’t just sit back and let him be sacrificed.”
“Do you really think we can defeat the dragonriders? We’re not ready.”
“Whoever these dragonriders are … I doubt they’re the full force. They’re probably the ones who’ve been searching for us. A small party. We may not have much right now, but I believe we’ve learned enough to defeat them.”
“If we should fail …” Paedyn whispered.
“We shall not fail. We may not be as strong, but we are cunning.”
“Even if we defeat them, if a single dragonrider survives to return to the empire …”
“They will know our abilities.” Devarius nodded.
“Our element of surprise will be gone,” Paedyn agreed.
“Then, we’ll just have to train harder.” He turned to face the crowd. “Look, I know it’s a risk. I know we’re not ready. But we’ve been practicing. I believe we can defeat them. However, I’m not going to order you to come. In fact, I don’t suggest we all do. If we lose this battle, all of you will have to continue on, and it’s best we don’t risk the entire balance of the Resistance on this one battle.”
Devarius surveyed the crowd. “If you’d like to fly into battle with me, step forward.”
Paedyn and Aquila immediately stepped forward.
Devarius nodded to Paedyn, but he frowned at Aquila. “You need to stay.”
“No. I will not let you fly out to battle without me. I can help. I’m a good archer. Maybe I can hit some of the dragonriders off their dragons.”
Devarius grabbed her arm and glared into her eyes. “You will not be going.”
“Why?” she asked.
“I will not be able to focus on what I need to do if you’re there.”
Aquila opened her mouth to argue.
Devarius pushed his finger against her lips. “I could not bear to lose you.”
Her lip trembled. She gulped, then opened her mouth again. “I—”
He kissed her. When their lips met, it was like everything else disappeared, spinning into a vortex of colors until it was a black room with only Devarius and Aquila, arms wrapped around each other and lips eagerly feasting on their greatest desire. His hand reached up to her hair and ran through it until it was clutched to the back of her head. He dug his nails into the back of her skull. Neither one of them breathed. A sense of electricity passed through them. Silence filled the air all around them. Desire consumed them.
When their lips finally parted, both took a deep breath. The kiss had left them both weak. Devarius’s hand fell from her scalp to rest on her cheek. They stared into each other’s eyes for a life time.
“Don’t you die on me,” she whispered.
He brushed her lips with his thumb and smiled. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“It’s about time,” Paedyn whispered.
Devarius raised an eyebrow at him.
“What? You two have been dancing around that kiss for years now.”
Devarius cleared his throat and looked to the men and women around him. “As I was saying, step forward if you’re with me. I only want those who have passed the aerial flying test and those who have a full-sized wyvern. This will leave some of you out, but if you haven’t trained with your wyvern enough, you’re not ready. Even if you have … you’re still not ready. But we’ll have to make do.”
Dragonia- Dragonia Empire series Box Set Page 17