A Siren's Crown (Book Two in the APK Trilogy)

(4) Anthemin

Circe's P.O.V

It was incredible, beyond imagination. The inside of the mountain had been entirely hollowed out, the remaining outer wall of the mountain stretched to an impossible height and seemed endless, disappearing into thick cloud at what I guessed must be three quarters of the way up, although it could very well be only half way.

Everywhere there were dragons, the walls of the mountain were speckled with pits that I soon came to realize were actually dragon caves. As I watched, three more of the magnificent beasts came swooping out of the same cave, only a couple of hundred feet below us. 

So taken up in the beauty of it all, I had failed to notice one thing, the silence. There was no sound apart from the gentle gushing of air under wings. The horrible mournful keening had ceased but now the air buzzed with something else.

They are all heading towards Unabonan, I realized with growing alarm, and indeed they were. Every single Dragon that I could see was making a beeline straight for us. Some were only a few hundred feet away.

Quiet your mind child. Have no fear. They only seek the truth.

Unabonan's voice reassured me that there was no direct threat but I still squirmed uncomfortably as he continued to fly upwards and directly towards the dragons in front of us, if he didn't slow down he would-

Hold on.

I screamed as suddenly the world was tilted upside down, only just managing to grasp onto the saddle in time. My heart stopped as we continued to fly, upside down, directly under the closest dragon to us. I felt Unabonan's whole body let out a ringing hum, that caused his scales to vibrate under my hands ... and then we were moving in slow motion and Unabonan's wings had stilled as, for a split second, his scaled underbelly met with the dragon flying overhead in the lightest of touches and I felt the hum move from him to the beast above us.

Almost as though it was choreographed, Unabonan smoothly righted himself, just the other dragon rolled onto his belly and then his great body was humming and we were passing overtop of another dragon. Again his wings paused in time for a single heartbeat and again the hum passed from one scaly body to the other and then we were upended again, all the while traveling up towards the cloud at the top of the mountain. I needed not to look behind me to confirm that others were joining us as we flew, nor to know that the hum was being passed, not just through Unabonan, but through every dragon in the mountain.

An then when I thought I had seen it all, something caught my eye inbetween the twisting and whirling of wings and bodies. There was a captivating glow coming from one of the dragons but I could only catch a glimpse of a paw or a tail as it was hidden behind a large white beast, whose scales were tipped with a dusky pink. 

Unabonan-

He is Anthemin child.

As Unabonan swooped under the next dragon I finally saw him and he took my breath away. He was tiny, in comparison to the great beasts that surrounded him. His wings were each only as long as one of Unabonan's legs I estimated and his body the width of Unabonan neck. His white scales glowed and shimmered as though he was lit by an inner fire that flickered beneath his skin. 

I couldn't tear my eyes away and as though he felt my eyes on him, his petite head swiveled in my direction, his unblinking gaze capturing mine and holding me captive. Although he was at least four dragons away I felt as though a thread had suddenly sprung up between us, pulling me to him. 

Vanima!

Unabonan's voice seemed to come from very far away and it was brushed aside as another touched the boundaries of my consciousness.