Fate of Dragons

Chapter Twenty-Five, Part I

A fiery sunrise greeted Tesa when she first opened her eyes. It cast a rosy glow over the entire beach. She stretched where she lay on the sand, first noticing that Orrie was no longer at her back, tail and neck curled protectively around her, and second noticing that Astrid was gone too.

It didn't take long to find the pair, seated next to each other on the shore, silhouettes against the pink morning sky. Tesa pushed herself up and smiled, savoring the stillness of the morning air and the warmth despite the breeze. Gradually, the rose faded from the water as the flames began to dim from the sky. With a sigh, Tesa stood and made her way over to her friends in the sand.

"I wish we could rest like this forever," she said aloud, so both could hear. Actually, she remembered, she could have spoken to both of them in dragonspeak, but it still seemed strange that she'd be able to speak to another human that way.

We have work to do, Orrie said. They'll need us soon.

How do you feel? Tesa asked. After his collapse, Tesa worried that Orrie would push himself too soon.

Well enough to return to the Spires, for now. He followed his statement by turning his body and lowering his wings, indicating that Tesa and Astrid should mount. As soon as they climbed aboard, he took off.

As soon as they left the island, Tesa became aware of her hunger. She thought of the rations in her pack, but quickly remembered that her pack was back at the Spires, tucked inside her tent. She grimaced. She hoped she would have a chance to eat when she returned, but the other dragons had returned last night with the news about the bound magic. Tesa had no doubts that the camp would be in full-on action mode by now.

She was right.

As soon as she and Orrie landed, people came rushing at her. Derol emerged from the caves, and on her other side, Malía approached. Behind her a group of riders and dragons gathered.

Thankfully, Tesa sent Astrid back to Derol as Malía began to inform her of her part in their plan.

"We're about to see the Mage Council," Malía said. "You and Orrie will come with us." With that, Malía turned back and walked back to Gira and the other riders who awaited, clearly expecting Tesa to follow.

Tesa looked to Orrie and shrugged. The dragon tilted his head in what seemed to be his version of a shrug. They followed.

The delegation of riders and dragons going to see the mage council consisted of Tesa and Orrie, Malía and Gira, and Maira and Torun. Tesa wondered if Maira was nervous, not having seen the council before, but the older woman bore a carefully neutral expression. Tesa probably felt more nervous than she did, knowing full well what kind of experience to expect with the mage council.

Malía briefed them before they climbed aboard their dragons. "I'm not sure what they have in mind for the eggs, so we'll have to tread carefully. We'll reveal what you've learned about the bound magic only as required. I'll talk to you through your dragons if I want you to speak."

Tesa gulped but nodded. This meeting with the mage council was bound to be even worse than their others.

The flight to Saldive from the Spires felt routine by now, after they had spent so much time ferrying mages and supplies to and from the Spires. Their dragons brought them directly to the beach outside of the Mage Council chambers.

Attendants jogged from the temple to meet them even before the dragons landed. There were four of them, and they flanked the riders on either side. Even if they had wanted to go somewhere else, they wouldn't have been able to without breaking through the formation the mages made. Tesa would have felt threatened, if not for the fact that her dragon was behind her, large enough to bowl the whole entourage over.