The Gable Forest
Claire felt Kane's grasp around her wrist biting into her skin, but she could see nothing. Blind. Vision seared by intense white light, brighter than sunlight. The world froze around them. A voice spoke. A voice that had her crying with relief. The bright glare from Taylynn's magic dissipated, revealing the Sprite princess in the middle of the clearing, arms moving, wind ripping around her, sending her hair wild, drawing dead leaves to her like a furious tornado.
Kane released Claire and stumbled back, cursing. He muttered incants of his own as Taylynn moved against him, snakes of dark smoky magic curling around him as they battled.
"Protect us!" Taylynn shouted at her, keeping her entire focus on Kane.
There was no time to question it, no time for relief. She blinked, recovering, before jumping into action. Stepping close to Taylynn, she took over to keep the torrent of air around them like a barrier, protecting them from the black vines that continued to threaten them.
Taylynn was quick on her feet, her sing-song voice rising over Kane's chanting. A nearby tree, blackened and dying, cracked. Taylynn sent it straight for Kane. He lifted his arm and spoke a few words, blocking the attack. Taylynn moved faster, pulling more dead debris toward Kane, sending more magic to push him back. Kane had the same idea in mind, sometimes redirecting the path of flying objects towards them. It took all Claire's focus and concentration to keep the protective barrier of air and wind roaring around them.
Over the roar, she could barely make out Taylynn's shout. "Claire! We must get him through the portal. Eject him from the forest!"
The portal. Right. She had to get him through the wall of water and destroy it. Her barrier faltered for a moment.
"Stay focused!" Taylynn cried.
She dodged a stray wisp of Kane's magic. It ricocheted around the clearing. Heart thundering in her chest, she pulled more air, wrapping it around them again. She didn't allow herself to think about all the pain Kane had caused her, about how she badly wanted to destroy him here and now. She especially didn't let herself think about what he had done to Cyrus.
You are not ready to take him on and survive, Cyrus said in answer, reading her deepest thoughts even though they were so far buried.
She did as Taylynn said. She stayed focused. Taking a deep breath, she kept the blossom at the back of her mind, then she did something she'd never done before. She partitioned the forefront of her mind, leaving part of it focused on air's element. But only a segment of it. Then she focused on earth, on summoning it.
But...
In a dead place like this, earth wouldn't answer. And yet...she felt a stirring, far, far away, a whispering of life. Felt it responding to her.
She called up what she wanted, called up vines, growing them far from the clearing and bidding them come, to help, to protect. The words of her song formed in her mind without much thought. Lifting her voice loud enough, she ensured that the forest would hear her. She flexed her hands, an instinct, reaching, telling the vines exactly what she wanted. And she saw them obey—willingly. Saw them eager to answer her call, eager to please. They would not refuse Isabella's heir—never.
Deep green appeared—a direct opposite to the blackened deadness around them. Creepers like octopus tentacles flung themselves into the blighted area behind Kane. They wrapped around him, around his ankles and then his legs before he noticed. Then they tugged. He gave a shout of surprise. The vines flung him, sending him backwards before releasing him.
"Good!" Taylynn shouted. "Good!"
Gulping in breaths of air, Claire watched, wide-eyed as Kane flew straight for the wall of water. Then he was through it, landing on the floor of his cave, sprawling. He jumped to his feet, but not fast enough. Taylynn slashed her hand through the air, freezing the water into place. The ice sheet shattered like glass, splitting the silence with a resounding crack so loud it rang in her ears. Thousands of glittering fragments rained down onto the dead forest floor, turning to droplets once more, soaking into the blackened earth.
Silence returned. Claire blinked. Blinked again. Had they just...? They had.
Exhausted, barely able to stand, Claire put her hands on her knees, gulping for breaths of air. Off to the side of them, the bulky white shape of the dead male unicorn lay unmoving. She wanted to go to him, to cry over his body. He'd sacrificed himself to save her when she couldn't save herself. Deep down, she couldn't help but wonder if his sacrifice had been worth her life.
But the blighted forest wasn't done with them yet. A grating screech like metal sliding over metal broke the silence. The forest rose up around them, sending an angry wail into the air. From everywhere, dead creepers flung outwards. Taylynn shouted something and waved her arm. "Come!" she screamed, pulling Claire away, nearly dragging her.
"But the unicorn," she shouted, trying to go to him. She couldn't bear the thought of giving his dead body over to the blight.
"We must leave him!"
A sob broke free of her chest, but she complied. Her body turned sluggish. She stumbled, trembling uncontrollably. Taylynn was all that kept her upright as they sprinted out of the blighted area, fleeing. They ran until they were surrounded by green. Taylynn released her arm and she fell to her hands and knees, gasping, crying, too shocked to do much else.
"We are safe, for now," Taylynn said, breathing hard. A comforting hand rubbed circles on her back. "Breathe, Claire. Deep breaths. There now."
In these few moments of quiet, everything caught up and she began sobbing in earnest. Her adrenaline dissipated, leaving her weak. She sagged, her shoulders hunched. "How...how did you...? Your mother. She—"
"Hush. Just...breathe."
"I need to—" She tried to push to her feet, to stand, to think. Jade was out there somewhere, working her way back to Esterpine, back to where—
"Koldis! I have to—"
"No. Not yet." Taylynn's firm voice was a sharp command. "Do not tell Koldis what happened here. Not yet. That damned Drengr will come charging straight into the forest and it's not safe for him right. If you must say anything, tell him I found you and that all is well."
She opened her mind. "Koldis?"
"Gods, Claire! There you are. What's wrong?"
"Nothing...nothing's wrong." It was one of the most difficult lies she'd ever had to tell. "Taylynn found me. I'm...I'm all right."
"As long as you are safe."
"All is well," she said, hating that she had to.
"We cannot linger here," Taylynn announced. Her voice felt far away, pulling Claire from the depths of her mind. "There is another matter that has come to my attention. Another thing that must be done soon. I will need your help. After that, we can address the crimes of my mother."
"You...you know?"
"I have surmised enough, but I'm sure you can fill in the missing details. When I found her absent from Esterpine, I knew something was wrong. I put the pieces together with a little help from the King Tree."
"She betrayed me. Sold me to Kane—"
"I thought as much." Taylynn's lips pressed into a thin line.
"It was her all along. The sick forest. Her fault. Kane said it's because she's greedy, she won't step down."
Taylynn's hugged herself, wrapping her arms around her stomach. Claire faltered, watching the transformation. The princess didn't look strong and powerful anymore. She looked like a girl who's mother had done something awful, whose faith in a woman who'd once meant the world to her had been broken.
"I...I'm so sorry, Taylynn." Claire went to her then, pushing back her own tears to offer comfort. She felt Taylynn's sigh. "I'm so, so sorry." She wrapped her arms around the Sprite princess, holding her close. A dam broke; Taylynn's body shook with silent sobs. Despite their troubled relationship fraught with hardships, despite what the queen had done, she was still Taylynn's mother. That betrayal would cut the princess deepest.
"What do we do?" Claire whispered, hiccuping.
"That is for the King Tree to decide," Taylynn managed between breaths.
When Taylynn calmed, she released her and sat down on the forest floor. The Sprite princess did the same, shoulders sagging, her eyes taking on a far away look. They sat in silence for a long while. She tried to process what had happened, to catch her breath, to come to terms with everything.
"It's exhausting, sometimes," said Taylynn, letting out a bitter laugh. "All the time, actually. I understand why Isabella choose Eymar over this." She ran her hands through her hair, stopping at her braid, pulling out a few leaves and twigs. "I understand..." She heaved a sigh.
Claire swallowed. "Would you choose Koldis, if you could? If you weren't destined to rule here?"
"You have as much right to rule here as I do."
"Perhaps. But you didn't answer my question."
Taylynn picked at her sleeve. "I...don't know," she whispered at last. "I'd like to know him better, at least. He seems...good." Taylynn lifted her eyes, a question written in them.
Claire held her gaze. "He is. Unbelievably so. You would be lucky to call him your mate."
Taylynn's throat bobbed. "It would hurt too much in the end, I think."
"Maybe." She shrugged. "But maybe that's what makes it worth it."
Taylynn didn't answer.
***
Hours later after they'd traversed a wide swath of forest, Taylynn called up food for them and they took a much needed break. Her tears had long sense dried, followed by numbness that replaced the shock of what had happened. They'd been following a path that led them north. Taylynn hadn't given her much information. Did she ever? Some buisness for the King Tree. Beyond that? Who knew.
She wanted to return to Esterpine. Wanted to see that Koldis was okay, that her pairs were safe. But...she also feared confronting Jade in light of what had happened.
Taylynn brushed her hair from her face and said, "We are leaving the forest, going north. We will be gone from Esterpine for...perhaps a week." Her words confirmed a sinking suspicion that had already begun to develop in the pit of Claire's stomach. "You may tell Koldis if you wish. But he does not need to know the details. Nothing beyond the duration of your absence."
Leaving the forest? And for a week? She gave Taylynn her best Are-you-kidding-me? look. Perhaps Taylynn had waited to tell her because she was sure Claire would protest, sure she'd turn straight around for Esterpine. But they'd already spent too long going in the opposite direction. And...was there much choice in the matter?
She reached out to Koldis and relayed what she could.
"What has she gotten you into now?" came his immediate response.
"I cannot say. You know Taylynn. But, I think this is important," she said, a firm command in her voice. This way, he wouldn't try to talk her out of it.
"Very well. Be careful, my queen," came his response.
They set off again.
Taylynn assured her that the forest would speed their journey along. Assured her to trust the King Tree. So she did. This was how she found herself at Riltar Outpost the following day, harnessing unicorns with Taylynn. The Sprites loaded their saddlebags with provisions, equipped them with warm parkas, scarves, gloves, hats, and everything else they'd need. Then they were racing north. Claire had laughed the moment she stepped out from the cover of the trees, from the cover of the Sprite's weather protections. The world was white, heaped with mounds of snow. A magical winter wonderland. The cold that had met them was a slap in the face.
Something in the form of another memory flashed through her mind, further solidifying her suspicions, but Taylynn was already far enough in front of her, racing into the growing darkness of evening. Too far for her to call out, to ask. The winter gear given to them by the Sprites at the outpost was enchanted. She'd been in cold temperatures plenty; it snowed in Indiana, after all. She should have been shivering with cold after an hour or two. But she remained toasty, as if she sat beside the fire.
The unicorns traveled at an impossible pace. The landscape slid by in a blur. When they finally stopped to rest in the middle of the night, it was only to relieve themselves and have a quick bite from the provisions they'd been provided. "Unicorns can travel distances in hours that would take horses days," Taylynn explained. "Especially these." As she spoke, she rubbed the neck of her steed. Belanor, he was named. Claire's was Akkar, and he was such a handsome boy. "Are you ready to continue?" Taylynn asked.
"That depends. Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Claire lifted an eyebrow. Out here, beyond the enchantments of the forest, she could not contact Koldis anymore. If the forest weren't in the way, she could have reached out to Talon, but only perhaps if she'd been on the forest's south side. More than half a continent lay between them now. That thought alone left a deep ache in the pit of her stomach. With each passing day, their separation intensified a painful longing. What happened to mates who stayed apart too long? Even if they weren't yet mated, surely it would cause hurt for both of them. She needed to return to him—soon.
As it was, the only person beyond herself that she could rely on here in the snowy north was Taylynn. The Sprite princess hesitated. "We are going to wake a thing that has not been awake for an age."
Her stomach swooped. "The Marble Dragon." Not a question. "I saw it in my vision—when I had the drink."
Taylynn's back was to her as the Sprite princess put her hands on her unicorn's harness, readying to mount. "I had wondered," was all she said before climbing up.
And then they were off.
Claire did not sleep, not even in her saddle. They were going too fast. During one of their short breaks, Taylynn explained that if she fell off of a unicorn at these speeds, by the time she stood up, in the seconds that it would take her, the unicorn would be miles and miles away. Too far to cry out. They couldn't waste time backtracking or taking risks like that when she needed so badly to return and confront Jade.
They set a relentless pace as the morning took them deep into Kengr's plains. The path they cleaved through the fresh, untouched powder was forged by Taylynn, who went ahead and used her magic to make it easier for the unicorns to travel. Using her water magic, Claire melted the snow behind them to fill in their path, covering their tracks as they went. Just in case.
Even though Claire had been here during late summer, it might as well have been a completely different place. Nothing was recognizable. Granted, she'd spent most of her time in the sky, looking down on the landscape from above. But Talon's Shields had made camp in a few places along the way. Her mind went back to that time, when everything was so uncertain, when Jovari, Koldis, and Reyr mistrusted her. She thought of the camp they'd made the night she'd confronted the Vodar, when she'd been injured and it was Koldis's healing magic that kept the poison from exacting its toll. The remaining scar on her leg gave a twinge at the thought.
It was a little past midday when Taylynn drew them to a halt and they dismounted. The world was so glaringly white, so uniform and pristine, it was a wonder Taylynn managed to sort out their bearings. Wordlessly, Taylynn left the unicorns and beckoned her to follow, trudging ahead, blowing snow out of their path. The air was cold, each breath a frozen inhale, so she kept her enchanted scarf up around her mouth and nose. Every exhale was a puff of condensation.
Taylynn stopped.
Claire's eyes narrowed, and then she saw it, almost impossible to discern against the white landscape. The Marble Dragon. It looked exactly as she remembered it, except now it had piles of snow atop it.
"He shouldn't be impossible to wake," Taylynn said. Claire hesitated, blinking. It was strange, those words, hearing them for a second time. "Come, let us go to him."
A strangled laugh burst from her chest. Strange indeed.
She followed after until they reached the beast. "You know, the last time I touched it, it tried to kill me."
"You shouldn't need to this time, so you need not worry." Taylynn made a circuit around the dragon.
"Now that we're here, can I ask why? Why do you want to do this? Why do you want to wake up a wild dragon when we've been fighting a war against them? When they've captured Fort Squall and hold the city?"
"Pale as snow his scales do gleam," Taylynn said to herself, her voice low. "But not forever." She exhaled through her nose. "Only blood can break these chains."
"You're not making any sense," Claire muttered, frowning. "You never make any sense."
Taylynn turned to her. "It is not what I want, Lady Claire—waking a dragon. Fright has spent an age paying for his crimes. Do you think he would behave differently if given a second chance?"
"You...you want him to fight for us?"
Taylynn shrugged. "Again, it's not what I want. But...yes. He was betrayed by the ice clan." The princess hesitated. "Soon you will learn that my wants are immaterial. I merely—"
"Follow orders. I know." Claire looked over Fright's body, recalled what had happened the last time she'd been here. "Surely he will be insane. All that time, trapped in stone."
"Aren't we all?" Taylynn shot her a grin. "Even just a little bit?" Claire snorted. "Well, anyway, we shall see. It would be a great feat, reversing Isabella's magic. But...only blood can break these chains."
"So...you want to bleed on him?"
"Not him, Lady Claire. And not me. Blood. Your blood. The blood of Isabella's direct line. I share her family's blood too, but not directly, no. You will wake him. And you will find no help from me on the matter."
Claire opened her mouth—
"Not because I wish to make things harder for you, but because I truly have no idea what magic will reverse this spell."
Claire hesitated. "And...the King Tree really wants this?"
"It was...implied."
Claire walked around the beast, taking him in. She had to move snow out of her way to get anywhere. When she came full circuit, she frowned. "Surely you have some ideas?"
Taylynn sighed. "A few, I suppose. He was turned to stone for his crimes, but stone is a form from whence his ancestors originated. I believe that played a heavy role in Isabella's magic. For example, turning a horse or a bear to stone would be much harder, because that is not the substance of those creatures."
"I...see. And what if we wake him and he goes on a rampage? What if he's not repentant."
"Well, that's why you will ask him before you sing your final words. But, I also have another idea as to that." She walked forward and placed her hand over Fright's scales, right where his neck met his chest. "I think his heart might rest here? Deep, deep beneath." She closed her eyes and began humming.
Claire watched, wide-eyed as the stone around Taylynn's palm rippled. It spit out a small smooth chunk. She sucked in a breath as the area fell still again, as if the stone had never moved. "A...a Dragon Stone?"
"Not like those you are thinking of. This one will not have the power to work with the others—I don't believe. But...I think I might use it to control him, if necessary."
"I am not sure I follow."
Taylynn pocketed it, cleared some snow from the ground, rooted around in the dirt for a moment, and produced a rock dug from muddy soil. With her magic, she split the rock in two and handed Claire one half. "Watch." Humming, with no need to form words, Taylynn squeezed her half and it exploded into dust and rubble.
Claire gasped as the half in her hand mimicked the exact behavior.
"There," said Taylynn. "That is what I will do if he goes back on his word." She emptied the dust from her gloved palm and patted her pocket.
"Assuming he agrees to be a good boy in the first place," Claire muttered. She wouldn't admit she was impressed. Taylynn looked far too smug for that. It almost made her laugh. Taylynn and Koldis were a perfect match.
"Now, have I answered enough of your questions?"
Claire snorted. "Hardly. But...let me see what I can do." If she continued peppering Taylynn with more, she was certain the Sprite princess wouldn't give her additional answers anyway. So she stepped forward and lifted her gloved hands, running them over Fright's body without actually touching him. She closed her eyes, framed her approach, thought about what she wanted to do. The short of it was, she would bring him back to life. It wasn't about creating new life, like the Asarlaí had done when they first made dragons. This one wasn't a shell. It already had a mind and soul dwelling within the stone.
In her mind, a flashback from her memories came to life. Fright was watching her, his eyes open, demanding she free him from his prison. "I am not Isabella," she whispered aloud, wondering if he would hear her despite her lack of touch. Then she stepped back and got to work.
First she began with her focus and mental intention, partitioning her mind with her blossom at the back. Her voice started deep in her chest, humming to form a tune. Then she began her song. The words came to her without thought, a natural extension of her desires, flowing forth on the tide of her voice.
"Eskh kehv eah slahke, mi naqah aya astah."
"Altah ana khir, yaella ana maha."
"Eskh kehv eah slahke, mi naqah aya astah."
"Mih mudah utah sah, aahma utah maruah utah jad."
"Eskh kehv eah slahke, mi naqah aya astah."
There wasn't quite a direct translation. But roughly, she said:
From stone to scale, I bid you wake.
Undo the last, reverse the past.
From stone to scale, I bid you wake.
My blood is true, what's old is new.
From stone to scale, I bid you wake.
As she repeated the words, she felt an awareness stretching out towards her, awakening from slumber. She did not yelp or interrupt her song when she heard him, though she was tempted to. "Will you free me?" came his voice in her mind. Accompanying it was the force of his power. It took everything not to quake under his scrutiny. Beside her, a hand slipped into hers, squeezing, steadying.
"Will you give me your loyalty?" she returned. "Will you fight for us?"
"Will I have my revenge?"
"I cannot promise such."
There was a hesitation, and then—"Why should I bend to your will?" His words were a heavy blow, breaking over her like an icy wind, but her mind did not falter. The hand in hers didn't let go. She pushed back, keeping her voice steady, letting the sound of her words rise higher. Despite the cold around her, sweat beaded upon her forehead.
"Any life is better than one of stone, Dragon."
"So it is," he huffed at last, submitting. The tidal force he brought ebbed and disappeared. "Wake me, and I am yours."
"Very well. I will hold you to your word."
There was no need to tell him about the fragment of stone missing from his body. No need to force him into submission. He would submit of his own will, or die for it.
She repeated the words of her song again, adding an additional stanza that encompassed Fright's agreement to serve, bundling his loyalty into his life force. The stone of his body rippled, turned to liquid. Eyelids opened, revealing a piercing blue gaze, a gaze that spoke of storms and power. Fright had once belonged to the storm clan, after all.
She brought her words to a close, tying off her song with the hum of her voice, transitioning it to a low creep, then ending it entirely. In response, Fright lifted his body from the ground, stretching his arms and legs, and shook like a dog, freeing himself of snow. The movements were so unexpected that a laugh burst from her chest. He reminded her so much of an excited puppy, she couldn't help it. But she would not be fooled, this beast was nothing like a puppy, and had once done terrible things. Now he would be given the opportunity to atone.
"Welcome to the land of the living," came Taylynn's voice beside her.
She was was shaking and only noticed when Taylynn removed her steadying hand. She trembled with mixed emotion, exhaustion, disbelief.
"I am glad to be alive," came the response, given to both her and Taylynn. "But what would truly make me happy is to fly. Where might we go first? Preferably somewhere where I might rip my enemies to shreds. I long to use my claws, my teeth. Beyond that, I am at your service."
Taylynn sighed. "There will be no shredding enemies just yet. But you may fly, if you wish. Go, but don't go far. We travel south. See if you can keep up with our unicorns. They are quite fast."
"A challenge? I accept." With that, he launched into the sky, sending snow everywhere. From behind them, the unicorns snickered.
She watched him rise, higher, higher, higher, watched him circle them far above.
Taylynn turned to her. "What you just did, Claire..." The princess hesitated. "Well done. You should be proud of how far you have come."
Claire swallowed. "I...thank you."
"I believe there is another task that awaits you in the forest. A task I cannot help you with. It is time for you to seek out the King Tree. You are ready."
Claire blinked. "What about you?"
"I have buisness of my own, with Fright. You and I will go south together, return the unicorns to the outpost. Then Fright and I will take a short trip. If all goes well, I will meet you back in Esterpine."
"And...your mother?" she asked. "I cannot just return and act like she did nothing wrong. She betrayed me, betrayed us. She—"
"You must deal with Jade as you see fit. I believe the King Tree will have an opinion on the matter. One I'd rather not be around to hear—or see." She shook her head. "No, it is good that I must go away for a while. The time has come, and I do not think I can be there to witness it. Come now, let us return, Lady Claire."
Unease crept into the pit of Claire's stomach, but she was too exhausted to fight it. Far above, Fright continued to circle, bellowing with delight. What must it be like, to live as stone for an age? To finally have the freedom to stretch one's wings?
Meekly, she followed Talylynn to their unicorns, mounted, and they set off into the snow. Deep down, she knew exactly what needed to be done about Queen Jade, exactly what the King Tree would have her do, and she didn't look forward to it. So instead, she rested her face against Akkar's neck, nuzzling him, bracing herself for the inevitable. Bracing herself for what was to come.
⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️
Happy Friday Bookdragons!
Last week's chapter was a bit of a cliff hanger. I know. I hope this one made up for that and ended more favorably. Even though we can suspect what is coming. I've known I wanted to wake Fright since first showing him off in book 1. It's taken a while, and there's been plenty of indecision on my part about him. I wrestled with leaving him as nothing more than a stone statue the entire series but that felt...pointless after mentioning him in book 1. So, I finally did what my instincts were driving me to do.
Ahhhh I can't believe I have so few chapters left to write in this book. I've located a couple that I might need to add in, but I'm thinking those might end up as bonus chapters in the published version. We shall see.
Next week's chapter is titled, "The King Tree" and i'm sure you can guess what and who it is about ;)
I hope you all have a great weekend and a great week! See you next Friday.
-Mel