My belly burned at that thought. Octon. His rock was still inside me. Hopefully, he’d give me some of his common sense and patience. He’d seemed to have those things in life and those weren’t exactly my best qualities.
I was so deep in my musings as I tried to block out the steady sound and feel of our enemies breaking through the rocks behind us, that when we reached the center island it almost came as a shock.
At the center, a tall spire rose with glowing runes all around it and on it. The symbols were not in a language I could read, though it looked as if they could be depressed like the symbols for the underwater portals. Hmmm. Were these the same but for on land?
I peered at them curiously, but I didn’t recognize the symbols.
I pulled my small book out to see if there was anything like it in the book.
“Maybe we should see if it does something,” Heron said with longing in his eyes. “It’s clearly not just for decoration.”
“What if it’s powered by magic?” I asked. I was pretty sure it was.
“What if it isn’t?” he asked, flashing me a violet smile in the purple light.
I smiled back, sharing a moment of adventure in the middle of exhaustion.
Carefully, he depressed a sign that looked like waves. There was a sound of rock shifting, but nothing happened.
“That was anticlimactic,” I said. “Here, let’s try again.”
I pushed an arrow that looked just like the one on the key.
Nothing.
Heron laughed. “A magic something and neither of us knows how to use it.”
There was a hand-drawn sketch in the book that looked a lot like the spire next to the word ‘warrens’. It was different but much the same with glowing runes and a pillar-like shape.
“Do you think this is the same thing?” I asked, showing Heron. We both squinted in the purple glow, staring at the page. “This says it can transport people across large distances.”
Heron shrugged. “It doesn’t say how, and nothing we tried worked.”
Reluctantly, we left the welcoming glow of the spire and followed the path Olfijum led us down.
“Do you think they’ll be able to use it when they get here?” Heron asked, his tone worried. The ground shook beneath us as if to punctuate his words.
“Probably,” I said grimly. “Atura seems to have a lot of magic at her disposal for someone who is so incredibly worried about losing magic in the world. Maybe the Troglodytes were right and we aren’t losing magic at all, it’s just being stolen by these Draven that the Manticores were created by.”
“Maybe she’s worried because she wastes so much. That’s an awful lot of power they’re using to widen that passage. It makes me worried that this whole mountain might come down on our heads.”
I frowned. I hadn’t been worrying about that before, but now I was.
The glow behind us lit his back very slightly, enough that it made me feel safer as the darkness closed in again.
“Yeah, they must be using a lot to make that cavern big enough for Manticores,” I said. “It will be okay – somehow.”
I didn’t say that I hoped Manticores couldn’t see in the dark the way dragons could. I didn’t say that I hoped they couldn’t follow our scent trail. No point in mentioning everything I was afraid of. It would just make him afraid, too.
Olfijum’s slow steps were getting slower. And as they slowed, my worry increased. Even if the Manticores couldn’t see as well as dragons, we needed to find cover before they got here. Even if they couldn’t follow our scent trail, standing out where they could see us wasn’t going to help us hide from them.
Worry built up in me layer on layer. I didn’t like this new worried self. I’d never been so anxious before. But then again, I’d never realized before how much I had to lose. Suddenly, every moment I had with Heron and Nasataa seemed so precious. I could lose either of them as quickly as I lost Kyrowat or Hubric. And though I’d barely known those two, they’d left a hole in my heart. If I lost Heron or Nasataa, it would leave a crater big enough to fit this cavern inside.
I was still layering up my worries when the ground shook again – but this time it shook so hard that the water surrounding our land bridge sloshed up, spraying us with stale water and dust. I gripped Nasataa’s wing, making sure he was still okay.
Hurry!
I wasn’t surprised he’d learned that word already. We used it a lot.
He raced forward, chasing after Olfijum and Heron and I barely managed to keep a hold of him as I raced, too. I hoped he could see where we were going because I was running in the pitch black with no idea if I was about to pitch over the side of this bridge and no way to tell if the entire thing was shaking apart.
I’d just have to trust him.
Chapter Four
When my next footstep fell, the ground came up to meet me, slamming into my leg so that my knee screamed at the sudden force. I stumbled, landing on the Dragon Staff. I’d lost Nasataa. Something hot and wet was in my eyes. I was trying to clear them when a wave washed over me, leaving me choking and coughing out water. I felt for the staff and cut my hand on the blade when I finally found it.
Skies and stars! That blast must have got them through the narrow passage. They’d be here at any moment.
Nasataa? I called in my mind. Nasataa?
Was he okay?
I was on my hands and knees, feeling with my cut hand all around me. I didn’t dare put the Dragon Staff down in case it was washed away by a rogue wave.
“Seleska?” Heron was half-whispering, half-calling when the earth shook again - this time so hard that I was knocked from all fours, my face smashing into the rocky bridge.
I hissed in pain. My face felt like the skin had been scraped off. In the darkness, I felt crippled. I pulled myself back up to all fours and began to crawl, gingerly feeling my way along the ground.
“Here,” I whisper-called back to Heron. “Are the dragons with you?”
“Yes! We found a cave.”
Good. They were safe, at least.
Nasataa sent me a worried image of darkness and Heron’s worried face.
A faint yell sounded from the other side of the cavern.
Our enemies had arrived. I clenched my jaw, fighting back frantic gasps and crawled faster, carefully feeling for the edge of the Bridge. I was moving so fast that when I did find it, I barely managed not to fall in.
Sucking in a deep breath, I pulled back. That had been close. Too close.
Okay, Seleska. Come on! I tried to find my bearings, feeling along the edge of the ledge, but now I was worried. In the thick darkness, I couldn’t tell if I was going the right way and I didn’t dare call out to Heron. If I could hear them, then they could hear me.
Seconds seemed to drag to minutes as I crawled my way to safety – maybe. Sweat formed on my brow and dripped into my eyes. Or at least, I hoped it was sweat and not blood. My face hurt and my hand stung with every movement. I was cut in at least two places, but judging from the pain in my head, it might be more. I was probably bleeding all over that nice scarf Hubric had given me.
Tearfully, I crawled on.
The sounds behind me were growing louder and soon I heard the clash of Manticore teeth. If they looked over here – if they had some way to shine the light at me – then I’d just be pointing the way to where Nasataa and Olfijum were hiding. I clenched my jaw at the thought of that. If it came to it, I’d have to throw myself over the edge of the platform and hope I didn’t make a splash. The only thing that mattered was the safety of my little dragon.
My breath was coming too quickly. I fought to control it. Panic wouldn’t help me right now – so why did it feel like my only option?
I let out a long, shuddering breath, trying to will myself to calm down. Calm was nowhere to be found.
Out of nowhere, something touched me. I jumped, barely swallowing a scream, but before it could escape my mouth strong arms were wrapped around me.
“I’
ve got you, little honey,” Heron whispered in my ear. “I’ve got you.”
He lifted me up in the air, walking calmly as if he could see.
“How are you able to see?” I whispered softly in his ear. My lips brushed the edge of his ear and I felt him shiver.
I could hear him swallow before he whispered back, “Olfijum can see. He’s telling me where to walk. He’s so good at this.”
Of course he was. He was good at everything.
“Don’t be cranky, Seleska.”
How did he know I was feeling cranky?
“Olfijum can read your thoughts, too.”
“That’s just rude,” I whispered.
“He’s trying to help,” Heron said repressively.
I painted a picture in my mind of me holding Olfijum’s head underwater.
“Stop harassing him,” Heron whispered. “He’s on your side. Here we are. There’s a cave here. Nasataa is already asleep.”
At least my baby dragon was safe. I felt myself relax for a moment but when Heron chuckled like he knew a secret, I sent Olfijum another image – one of me blinking innocently while I sat on his back poking a sharp stick under his scales.
There was a huff in the cave and then – before I knew what was happening – Heron’s warm lips were on mine and my heart was hammering too hard to breathe. Any thoughts of sharp sticks or bothering Olfijum melted away as I leaned into that kiss, clinging to his neck.
The relief of being alive and safe made it feel more intense – like I might be kissing him for the last time. I didn’t want it to stop – not ever. I sank into the feel of it, letting it wash over me until Heron finally pulled away.
“What was that for?” I gasped.
“I had to get you to stop bothering Olfijum somehow, Seleska, or he’s never going to get to sleep.”
I swallowed, trying not to make a sound that might draw attention to our little cave.
“You need sleep, too,” I said eventually. “I’ll stand guard.”
“You can’t see.” His whisper sounded dubious.
“But I can listen,” I argued. And that was true. Anything coming for us would be heard long before it reached us.
“I don’t know, little honey. I’m worried about you guarding alone. Especially since I think you might be hurt.”
“I’m fine.” I was still bleeding, but nothing could be done about that in the dark.
“Here,” he whispered, taking a cloth from his belt pouch and winding it around my cut hand as gently as he could. Another cloth was produced – a handkerchief? He wiped my face gently with it.
It took another kiss, but eventually, Heron was convinced, I was as well as I could be. He crawled into the little cave and I could hear him settling in against the dragons. The thought of their warm huddle made me ache to join them, but I knew that even just cuddling there would make me drift off. Here, away from the warmth, the coolness of my drying underwater suit kept me wide awake.
And as I sat guard, I listened.
Chapter Five
In hindsight, Heron might have been right to be worried about me being on guard while they slept. As I sat, I had too much time to think and soon, I was adjusting the bandage Heron had made for my hand and hefting the Dragon Staff.
Soon, I was looking out of the cave to watch the glowing spire. Which was why, not long later, I saw the Manticores and Bubblers arrive. I could hear them talking, but from so far away, I couldn’t make out words. I could see them very faintly in the light of the glowing spire, but soon they had fires lit – how had they done that after having to swim through a channel? – and soon they were busy setting up camp.
I should have kept my head in the cave with the rest of me. I should have minded my own business.
But after a while, I saw them tying someone to the glowing spire.
Was Atura going to tie the whole world to rocks and suck their souls out? Really?
Someone needed to put that girl in a time out and take away her magic torture skills. Although I supposed that would mean carving her open and removing a few heavy rocks.
Fury welled up inside me. Most of it was my own. Atura made my blood boil just fine without help. But some of it was from that burning rock in my belly.
And that fury propelled me as I slowly crept back down the Bridge, staying close to the ground. They wouldn’t be able to see me anyway, right? Not with the firelight blinding their eyes. The glow of the fires was just enough to light my path – not well, but enough to keep me from falling off the bridge. I was careful not to make a sound.
Caution and minding my own business wouldn’t stop Atura from hurting more people. And it wouldn’t help me find a way to trip her up. There had to be some way to stop her from getting all those keys! But finding out more about her might help. Maybe if I was very quiet and very sneaky, I could find some kind of advantage to keep us alive.
As her camp started to go to sleep, the Manticores strewn all around that central platform and on a few of the bridges, Atura strode over to the dark figure trussed to the spire.
“You’re going to tell me everything, Jeriath,” she said.
Jeriath! He was still alive! I hadn’t expected that.
“Let’s start at the beginning. How long have you been a Lightbringer?”
“A what?” his voice was drawn and weak. But he must be conscious again to be saying anything other than strange prophecies. Maybe his fever had broken.
His profile was to me, as was Atura’s, which gave me a chance to study them both. Water dripped from Jeriath, forming a pool under him and he shivered in the cold of the cave. Maybe I hadn’t done him any favors when I asked Hubric to rescue him. Maybe he was wishing that we’d just let him fall to his death.
“When we pushed you out of that orb, Seleska and her dragon caught you,” Atura pressed. “You must be on their side – a Lightbringer.”
“I’m not,” Jeriath protested, coughing at the end of the word. His coughing went on and on as if he couldn’t catch a breath.
“Well,” Atura said when he finally calmed down. “If you weren’t with Seleska, then explain who you were with. Why did you support my claim?”
“The prophecies,” he croaked. “They told of a girl rescued by dragons who would arrive with a Chosen One. The Chosen One would save the dragons from a fate worse than death – but the Chosen One would also break up their culture and finally unpin the Ileriocs from dragons forever.”
“And you wanted that,” Atura confirmed.
“I thought your dragon was the Chosen One! You spoke of being rescued by dragons. You spoke the oaths.” He sounded heartbroken.
“I never claimed to be truthful or upright,” Atura said lightly. “If you expected that, it’s your own fault you were hurt.”
He flinched, even though he must have known that was what she’d say.
“And now I have no reason to keep you. You weren’t a Lightbringer, so you won’t have any knowledge about the keys. You don’t have any other skills I want. Is there any reason to keep you alive?”
He coughed, heaving against his bonds. The cough seemed to go on forever.
“Dusk Covenant,” he said, eventually. “They opened the doors to you and the Manticores. They let you into the Lands of Haz’Drazen.”
She froze. “How do you know that?”
“I’m one of them,” he said. “I had hoped ... prayed ... that you would end our time of service.”
“Death ends all things,” Atura said smugly. “So, I guess we’ll both get what we want. But maybe I’ll get it first. I don’t think I’ll give you a clean death. I think I’ll let you wander through this underground crypt until you die of starvation or that infected wound. You don’t deserve any better for betraying your people.”
“Please,” he begged, but she snorted, kicking him solidly in the belly and cutting off his words.
She was already pulling off his bonds. “It’s too bad that you weren’t any help with the keys. If you had been, then I might ha
ve had a different reason to keep you.”
“I could find out.”
“So could I. Eventually. For now, we took all we could carry and that will have to suffice.”
I knew she’d do that!
She kicked him again and he doubled over, gasping before she grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the fire closest to me. She didn’t step out of the circle of light as she threw him down my bridge.
“If you come back, we’ll throw you over the side into that water we’re draining out of here. You’ll drown instead of starving. If you think that’s a good deal, come on back.”
And then she was striding away again as if she ruined lives every day just for fun.
Maybe she did.
Or maybe she was just as twisted by her society and upbringing as Jeriath was.
I shook my head. No point giving her more credit than she deserved. All I’d ever seen from Atura was naked ambition and cruelty.
And that didn’t get a pass from me.
Chapter Six
If Hubric hadn’t mentioned keeping Jeriath for information, I might have left him there. I wasn’t a murderer, but Hubric had been right. Jeriath had betrayed his people. He’d let in the enemy and if that prophecy he talked about was right, then he’d changed dragon culture forever by doing that – maybe even ended it.
I wasn’t a dragon, but I loved one more than words could express. And if Jeriath’s actions had threatened him, then maybe I wasn’t so worried about leaving Jeriath to his own fate.
I bit my lip. I was trying to be blasé about this, but I just couldn’t be. No one deserved to die alone in the dark. Not even traitors. Biting back a sigh, I waited.
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