Draygon Inferno | Book 2 | ✔️

Chapter Twelve

           Elias paced with his hands behind his back, eyes cast to the string of lights twinkling above his head. They bent downward from the curving roof, flickering like tiny stars. His mind whirled with how it was possible to take the winds of the deserts and turn it into those tiny glass objects with the power of the sun burning inside. It was magic of a different sort.

"I can hear your analyses of the electricity from my bed," Eloy said, leaning in the entryway to his room.

Elias stopped pacing. "Your father never mentioned such advancements."

"That's because these advancements didn't exist under my father's rule. At least not to the extent he knew about them." Eloy stepped away from the entryway and jerked his head to the right. "Walk with me."

Eloy had always been a tall child, towering over most kids his age and even some older, but now he nearly matched Elias in height. Only half an inch stood between them. Dark stubble traced his cheeks, and much of the roundness of his baby fat still remained.

"Is Siobhan well?" Eloy lead them outside and down the near empty pathway splitting Terra Gale in half. Most of its inhabitants had taken to their beds, the cold air of the night swept through the rocky canyon floor.

"As well as she can be, yes. She hides it well, but losing her father and having to run affected her. Sometimes even I can't recognize the child I helped raise in the woman she's become."

"Does she know about Cion?"

Elias nodded. Eloy stopped to grab an apple from a barrel, offering one to Elias who shook his head. The future king shrugged and bit into the green skin before continuing on. Stars flickered in the sky, moonlight casting a shadow on the curved roofs of the buildings. Few lights flickered within the windows, but the city was otherwise silent. They walked until the buildings vanished, passing under the towering stone statues of their three-headed God.

When they passed the pathways on either side of the canyon leading out, Elias asked, "Where are we going?"

"You know that Ardornians can't use magic, right?"

"Right. It goes against your Gods belief."

"Some of our children are born with the genetic disposition to use magic, we aren't immune to it completely simply because we don't use it. Their parents immediately present them to the king as if the child has a demon inside of it. I believe they hope the king will put the child to death or cleanse it of the demon and return it to their family. It's a backwards belief, but our history, like all histories of this world, has many moments of . . . stupidity." Eloy stopped walking when they reached the camp of The Silent. Their tents stood undisturbed in the darkness. Two members stood to either side of a wide opening in the canyon wall, moonlight glinted off their white robes rustled by the wind. "My grandfather was one of the first Ardornian kings to reach out to the mages. It's why my father worked hard to forge such a close relationship with Draygon. King Zell understood the destructive nature of magic and how Ardorn couldn't hide from it forever. Eventually the wars of power will find their way to our shores."

"Are you trying to tell me The Silent have magic?"

Eloy chuckled. "No. They have no magic. Their pale skin is the only demon their parents see in them. However, their silent nature makes them the perfect keeper of secrets and purveyors of knowledge. Though they follow the teachings of peace and sacrifice by the Caracal God, they're loyal to the crown. I am about to reveal to you a secret only they, the High Mage Prime, and the King of Ardorn know."

The Silent standing beside the cave opening bowed their heads but made no other motion when the future King approached. Eloy snapped his fingers when he entered the cave, the sound bounced off the walls. Tiny lights stuck to the rough stone came to life with the buzzing of energy. Elias resisted the urge to act like Wren and snap his fingers to see if the lights reacted to his sound or only the future king. Even with the light filling the narrow chute of the cave, it was still mostly dim. The dark orange glow followed the straight shot deep into canyons rocky walls.

Elias couldn't resist the pull to touch his fingers to the small curving glass encasing the lights. He hissed when he pulled his hand back from the rush of heat burning his fingertips.

"Electricity is hot. Even with the glass containing it, it's still a dangerous power on its own. Those wires connecting the glass are how the power transfers from one to the other. Terra Gale is the only city in Ardorn to have this technology. We're still trying to find a way to bring it to everyone. It's only been within the past year we discovered how to harness the wind or should I say, The Silent discovered though they wish for no credit."

Elias turned away from the light and continued to follow Eloy deeper into the cave. "Doesn't it go against your belief not to harm the land?"

"We take great care to ensure any damage is minimal at best. These lights are attached with a strong adhesive, but it's an adhesive which will degrade over time. Don't worry, Master Elias, we haven't completely shunned our past. We've simply learned that to survive is to adapt. If we didn't adapt, The Silent would still have their tongues cut out instead of choosing to take a vow of silence." Eloy grinned.

The chute fed into the wide opening of the cave. Crude drawings decorated the walls, mixing with more chains of lights carefully attached to the walls. Elias was still admiring the drawings when his eyes landed on the center of the cave. He gasped at the tall thin curve of jagged stone forming an arch. The center of the archway was empty, showing the drawing of a burning sun on the far wall. Elias glanced to Eloy who crossed his arms and smiled.

"You have one of the High Mages gateways?"

Eloy nodded. "Father had them make us one around the same time Naylin disappeared. It's currently inactive as we've removed the stone that will activate it on our end, so nobody can reach Ardorn using it." He stepped toward the stone, touching his hand on a rectangular smooth empty spot. "This will be where I'd apply the keystone with the burning sun etched into it. That would make this gate useable again. Until then, it's nothing more than a decoration."

"Why are you showing me this?"

"So you'll understand. If you find my sister, I'll activate this portal and my armies are yours wherever and whenever Siobhan needs them." He dragged a finger over the infinity dragons of Draygon. "However, if my sister is harmed in any way, then there will be no aid to Draygon. Not even for Siobhan. All of our loyalty will end as if it never existed. Ardorn will protect our own and trust in no one."

"Siobhan had nothing to do with what Kaylis has done. And if Garrith . . ."

"I am aware the King of the Wyverns is alive and well. The High Mages have kept us apprised of the situation on the great continent to the North East. And should Garrith come here, we'll do our best to fight him with everything we can. But as I said, my loyalty is to my family. I cannot trust Draygon under Kaylis' rule. Perhaps if Siobhan regains the throne we can discuss a truce again, but I cannot back a horse that may not win against a demon that slighted my family. Prove that slight is reversible, Master Elias, and my aid is yours."

Elias sighed. "I understand. How quickly can you get me to the ocean?"

The future king turned his grin widening. "That depends. Are you claustrophobic?"