My abdomen burned. Gasping, I clutched it--and then was surprised to find no wound. In fact, the incredible pain I'd experienced earlier was now all but a dream.
Am I. . . dead?
The fog cleared from my eyes slowly. A dragon's face hovered over me. For a moment, I thought it was Aries, and my heart skipped, but then the haze moved away from my mind, and the dragon was not green. It was utterly black, as dark as the storm clouds outside. Apart from its eyes. Its eyes were crystal blue--and cradling tears. One of those tears slipped out of the corner of its eyes and slid down its muzzle onto my stomach. It burned at the touch.
Erika threw herself at me. "You're okay!"
"I am?" I was pretty sure I was dying last time I checked.
It was still dark out--apart from a fire that had been lit a few feet away from us--and the wind was still howling. Not much time had passed. But enough time for my wounds to miraculously heal. I stared at the dragon as it retreated deeper into the cave, watching me closely. He curled his tail around himself, folding his gigantic wings against his back. I knew enough about dragons to know that was their most relaxed position--and a dragon wouldn't relax around us if he was a threat--which gave me some ease. We were safe with him tonight.
"He healed you," Erika explained, wiping her tears. Gods, she looked like a mess. Covered in mud and my blood, with twigs and leaves in her hair; she looked like she'd just gone through all seven hells. But I suppose I looked like I came back from the dead. There was almost a meter radius of my blood pooled on the ground and my clothes were soaked with rain and mud.
I blinked at the dragon, surprised. I didn't know they had any healing abilities. But what shocked me more was the fact that he did it in the first place. He could have let me die, but here I was, alive and well.
Maybe not well. Every bone in my body ached and heavily protested any movement I made.
"He said you were special," Erika went on, desperate for any response from me.
Apparently that was the dragon's cue to leave, because he receded even deeper into the cave. He blended into the darkness. Except his eyes. They glowed, watching us dispassionately.
Clearing my throat, I turned to Erika. The dragon had kindly let us stay here the night, better not to bother him anymore. "He spoke to you?"
He was very quiet now.
She nodded, wiping at her tears. "I asked him to help you. I told him everything you've ever done for me, that you're the best sister in the world. He made us a fire! It was really cool, so many pretty lights. You should have seen it--but you fell asleep."
I wish I was sleeping. I could use some rest right about now. "Come on," I said, still muddling through tonight's events. I pulled her towards me and the fire. "Let's get some sleep, we have a long hike ahead of us tomorrow."
°•° °•°
I woke up to the sun's blinding light shining in through the sheet of water, aiming straight for my eyes. The sounds of birds working quickly to rebuild their homes was loud enough to pass through the roar of the waterfall. That was a good sign.
Yawning, I looked around the cave for the dragon, but he was nowhere to be seen. It was amazing how something so big could move so silently. I had to poke at my stomach in case I'd dreamt it all up last night. My wounds were definitely gone, but they'd left their mark on my skin: three scaly--literally like dragon scales--scars raked parallel across my ribs from under my left breast down to my right hip.
More eager to see my family than to know the whereabouts of the dragon, I got Erika ready for the day. We scavenged some berries for breakfast then began our hike back to the caves everyone was hiding in. It took me a moment to get my bearings, but once I found the body of the lion I'd killed last night, it was easy to find the rest of our trail and follow it out of the forest.
It was a wonder there were birds left to sing; the forest was a wreck. Trees had fallen and broken in half, branches were dangling and tripping Erika. The ground was basically mud, sucking our feet into the forest floor, which made the hike more difficult for little Erika. Trunks were scorched by the lightning strikes, deftly reminding me how close we'd come to being hit several times last night.
Determined to reach the caves in decent time, I gave my sister a piggyback the rest of the way.
The sun was at its peak when I found trail markers leading to the cave. The forest canopy began to thin out, the terrane becoming more rocky than muddy. Not even two minutes later, I caught sight of a familiar dragon flying overhead. I bellowed for them, tearing my dry throat. It wasn't loud enough for human ears, but the dragons had heard it and altered their course.
Fully relieved to have finally escaped this nightmare, I fell to my knees and held onto Erika for support.
They landed in a clear patch nearby. Manic, Jacob came running for us, stumbling on roots and branches as he went. He tripped on a rock and collided into us, holding us tight. "Thank the Gods you guys are okay! I was so worried. I-I tried looking for you, but Aries couldn't fly in the storm. I'm so sorry." His eyes moved to my very bloody and torn open shirt. "Holy shit. Eva! Grayson, help!" He picked me up and ran to his partner, as if he was the only man in the world who could save me.
"Jacob! Jacob, I'm fine," I protested, wiggling out of his arms. "Look." I pulled him to a stop and lifted my shirt so he could see the three scars in place of my wounds. Grayson stopped dead in front of me, utter surprise dropping his jaw.
Suddenly feeling self-conscious to have such a handsome--which was an understatement, now that I could see all his clear cut features without his hood masking them--man gawk at my hideous scars; I did my best to cover my body with what was left of my shirt. Meanwhile, Jacob's face was paler than a wraith's and looked like he'd been sucker punched. He rocked back onto his heels, then completely stumbled back until Grayson caught his arm to steady him.
"What happened?" Grayson asked, completely amazed, like he couldn't believe I was still alive. Yeah, well, get in line. I was still trying to figure it out myself.
"A dragon cried on her," Erika supplied happily. She found my hand and squeezed it. "We hid in his cave by mistake. She fell asleep. He asked me what happened. I told him how brave and strong she was when that scary monster tried to eat us. He cleaned her wounds and kept us safe while we slept."
The Dragon Knights exchanged a look. It did sound rather outlandish coming from a six year-old's mouth.
"Eva! Erika!" My parents came running out of the cave. "Are you all right?" Mom did her best to brush my hair out of my face, but it was pretty matted down. She gave me a stern motherly look. "Dear, you're filthy. Take this too, you must be freezing." She handed me her shawl, tossing a dirty look at the handsome Knight unabashedly staring at my flat stomach.
Dad finished checking on Erika then moved to grip my shoulders while Mom wiped mud from my little sister's face. He scowled at my tattered clothes. "You're truly unharmed?"
I smiled at him, despite the many aches protesting the very fact I was standing right now. "I am."
He tossed a quick prayer above then pulled me into a firm hug.
After my parents made sure we were both okay, Mom herded us to a nearby creek to clean us up. By the time we were in fresh clothes and dried off, the people of Brar had packed up and were ready to head back home. I groaned at the thought of more walking. I think I'd done enough walking to last the rest of my life.
Noticing my reluctance, Jacob came to my side and gestured to Eran. "Gray, why don't you take Eva with you?"
Grayson glanced at me then to him, uncertain. "Are you sure? I thought you'd want to?"
Yeah, was my brother actually going to let me go near an outrageously handsome man unsupervised? Did a shapeshifter take his place?
Jacob gave me a look. "Go on. Before I change my mind. Just don't fall off, or I'll have to find another partner--and I like this one."
"Aw, Jake, that's the nicest thing you've said about me," Grayson teased, a mocking hand on his heart. "Shall we?" he said to me.
I squealed. I would finally be able to know what it felt like to be in the sky! To feel the wind in my face, to see the world from above. Jacob talked about how beautiful it was in one of his first letters he sent home, and I'd always envied him for being able to explore the world, to go on adventures.
I ran over to Eran--then stopped short when I realised he was much bigger than a horse. The great blue dragon lowered his belly to the ground, but it still wasn't enough for me to reach his saddle, even if I jumped. He then angled his foreleg, elbow positioned below the stirrups. My path became clear.
I took a few steps back then ran for him again, leaping up for his foreleg. My foot bounced off his elbow, pushing me up further; I reached for his wing and pulled up then swung my leg over the saddle roughly. Eran swung his head around to look at me. "Well done. Grayson fell flat on his back the first time he attempted to get in the saddle."
"I did not." Grayson glowered at him from the ground; there was no hiding the faint pink colour on his cheeks when his pale skin and jet black hair fought against him.
Ignoring my giggling, Grayson climbed into the saddle far more elegantly than I had, settling behind me, and scooted me forward with his hips. "You're going to want to hold onto these," he instructed in my ear, placing my hands on the handles attached to the saddle; he put his on the outside of mine. "All right, Eran, let's go."
And then we were off. In one powerful thrust of the dragon's wings, we were in the air. I slammed back into Grayson's chest, completely unprepared for such a jolt, and lost my grip. It was a good thing he was so strong or I would have flown off Eran's back.
Gasping out of complete terror, I groped for the handles and held on with all my might. The wind was so strong I couldn't open my eyes. All I knew was that I was very high up.
"Always a first timer's mistake." Grayson chuckled to himself.
Eran leveled off and the wind seemed less harsh. I opened my eyes with a flush. But then I soon forgot the embarrassment and panic when I looked ahead. It was beautiful. I never knew the land I lived in was such a wondrous place. The trees of this forest and two other neighbouring villages were all I knew.
Boy, I knew so little.
The mountain I hiked most days was not the only mountain. There were dozens in this valley, giving us a straight path to a large body of water three day's worth of hiking away.
"What's that?" I asked Grayson. My voice was carried away in the wind, but he still heard me.
"You don't know what the ocean is?" His words were right in my ear; I could tell he was trying not to sound surprised by my lack of knowledge.
I remembered the word, but I didn't realize it was that big. By Gods, I thought it was just the size of the meadow by Brar. "I've read about it."
"There's more than one," he happily obliged. "That is the Aborian Sea, one of the smaller ones; it sits on the boarder between Aboria and Estrus. There is also the Sea of Chaos, Dryman's Gulf, Tempest's Tide. . . and so many more I haven't seen yet."
I threw him a dubious stare; my hair whipped around, covering my face, but I was too scared to release the handles to move it aside. The water went on for as far as I could see--and it was small? I was almost afraid to see what his definition of big was.
Rolling his eyes, he leaned to the right, pulling me with him. Eran tilted toward the closest mountain and landed in a small clearing; his tail swatted a few trees to make the space bigger for him. The impact of landing forced the air out of my lungs.
Grayson dismounted and flicked his hood off, shaking his thick, black hair free; he had the silkiest hair I had ever seen, it was like he combed those gentle waves every second of the day.
What did he do to make his hair look like that? Mine was always a ratty mess, no matter what I did to it. Self-conscious, I brushed my fingers through the ashen locks then tied a double knot at the base of my neck so it wouldn't go all over the place next time we flew.
I jumped off Eran and faced the valley to distract myself from the jealousy I'd never felt over someone's hair before. The sight before us was surreal. I'd never felt so small in my life.
Grayson came up behind me, the heat of his body chasing away the chill from the mountain air. "I can give you a quick tour, if you'd like?"
I was only too eager to learn.
Smiling pleasantly, he stepped closer to me and used his hand as he named the mountains in the long, winding valley. The mountain I hunted on was Mount Ascona. Despite all the foliage I was used to in the valley's base, the peaks were more jagged and rock-ridden the higher they reached for the misty sky. It made my home seem more like the treacherous land I'd been warned of all my life, rather than the joyous escape I'd treated it as. Still, it was absolutely breathtaking.
Grayson planted his hands on my shoulders to angle me westward, inland, at the mouth of the valley. It flattened out into the plains I'd never set foot on, and I could barely make out the outline of Riverwood where Brar did most of its trades. The river that ran the length of this valley sidled past the small city, giving it its name, then continued further inland than I could see. The way Grayson described the world with such passion and enthusiasm, made me want to go out and explore more than I thought possible.
My heart ached at the tragedy that I'd never be able to see the world more than what I could see upon this mountain.
Eran cleared his throat, which sounded more like a stifled growl; his tail swished back and forth behind us idly as he held the gaze of his rider. After a moment of staring at his dragon, Grayson sighed, and stepped away from me, shoving his hands in his pockets. I was so amazed by the vast size of everything, I almost didn't catch the sheepish look he gave me. "Eva, I didn't entirely bring you here to sightsee. I brought you here so we can speak in private."
Hands on hips, I set a wary glare on him. My father always warned me to be suspicious of men trying to get me alone. I had completely disregarded such teachings because Grayson was a Knight, but maybe I shouldn't have. "What did you want to talk about?"
Seemingly amused by the sass in my tone, a lope-sided smile tugged at his mouth. "Nothing untoward, I assure you," he chuckled. "I'm only curious: Jacob told me that you both wanted to be Dragon Knights, but when he applied, you didn't join him. Why? If you're anything like your brother, you'd make a good fit."
Eran adjusted himself so he was laying down, his tail curling around us, head resting on top of his front legs. The blue dragon glistened like water on a sunny day as he pulled his wings onto his back, exposing his sides to the sun. To think I'd been riding on him only moments ago. . . It was the best feeling of my life.
Stop.
I snapped myself back into focus. Now wasn't the time to be daydreaming about doing something more with my life. "I, uh, I've never really thought about being a Knight," I lied. Of course I'd thought about it! I've wanted to be a Knight since I knew they existed. Who didn't want to take to the skies with a magnificent creature like Eran or Aries and protect people from monsters and bad guys? It wasn't until two years ago when I realised it could be more than a dream--if I didn't have a family to look after.
Grayson gave me a skeptical look. "Come on. You didn't think about it once?"
"Nope," I answered all too quickly. "It was his dream to chase, not mine."
He cocked an eyebrow at me. "Hmm." He regarded me for a moment, expression pensive as he tried to read me. To not give anything away, I kept my eyes trained on the vast valley beneath us.
"Fine," he relented grumpily, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "Tell me what happened last night. What did the dragon you met look like?"
I was sure he hadn't given up on me, but I appreciated the subject change.
It took me a moment to think about the events of last night in detail. When I'd seen the dragon, it was dark, with only a small glow from the fire. I'd never forget those eyes, though. They were vibrant, sharp. "He was black," I started, staring off the side of the cliff. The rough, cool breeze somehow gave me some comfort as I recalled my night. "With eyes so bright and blue, I thought I was looking at the sky. He gave off this. . . energy. It made my skin tingle. I can still feel it in my scars." My hands instinctively reached for my stomach, where the scars pulsed with the feeling I described. "He had a webbed spine, which I haven't seen on a dragon before." I glanced at Eran, who had a thick, horny spine running down his back.
Eran looked to Grayson with knowing eyes.
"What do you think?" the Knight asked his partner.
"It could be Arkon. He is the only one I'm aware of with those markings. No one has seen him in a hundred years, though; he disappeared with all the other storm dragons after Dracon was slain."
"Who's Dracon and what does he have to do with Arkon?" I couldn't help myself.
"Dracon was the Dragon King," Grayson obliged, eyes somber. "He protected dragons for thousands of years, and spent every minute of it searching for his kin--storm dragons. Throughout his reign he found twelve like him; he educated them in the ways of their magic. The last dragon he found--the thirteenth--was Arkon. He was young when Dracon found him; humans had discovered that Arkon was without a mother--easy to manipulate--and tried to capture him. Dracon saved Arkon and raised him as his own offspring. Little did he know, the human he saved Arkon from was a young and angry prince. Prince Draven Fortys of Estrus." His eyes went cold, hard like ice, as he spoke. "Prince Draven spent years searching for Dracon for revenge. He enslaved dragons to do his bidding and culled the weak. Once his father passed and he became king, he began a reign of terror across Estrus, using his dragons to destroy all those who defied him. Dracon called for peace talks, in the hope of saving his kind from the evil king, but King Draven killed him in cold blood and vowed to hunt down all of his storm dragons and enslave them. In fear for their lives, the storm dragons scattered to different corners of the world, never to be seen again."
Instinctively, I touched my scars. They suddenly felt like more than just scars. I had only just gotten them last night, but they held so much history, haunted by death and betrayal. But there was still something I didn't understand, "How come there are only thirteen storm dragons? Why did King Draven want them so badly?"
"A dragon's greatest weakness is lightning," he continued, a little more life returning to his voice. "It was why we couldn't fly last night in the storm. One strike of lightning can pierce through their scales and seriously injure--or even kill--them."
I paled, remembering that Erika and I had come close to being fried by lightning last night.
"Unlike humans, where our traits are passed on from parent to child," he went on, not noticing my unease, "dragons' abilities are determined by the environment they hatch in. Dragons, by nature, avoid storms, so they would never lay an egg near a place susceptible to storms, but sometimes the Gods have their own plans and sometimes a dragon is hatched in a storm. The ability to thrive, and even control a storm, makes them a formidable enemy or the most valuable ally."
My mind reeled trying to absorb all of this. "Wait. If you can make a storm dragon by placing an egg in a storm, why didn't King Draven just steal a bunch of dragon eggs and put them in storm?"
Grayson laughed darkly, gazing far past the valley and Aborian Sea, as if he could see Estrus itself. "Oh, he tried and killed hundreds of dragonlings in the process. None of them ever hatched. He never figured out why and, to this day, no one still knows why he wasn't able to succeed."
The topic left an unsettling pit in my stomach and the dark look in his eyes seemed to only grow darker the longer he gazed off in the distance.
"So you think I found Arkon, a storm dragon, last night?" I asked to move things along. I found all of this very hard to believe. I mean, me of all people to find Arkon? Totally by accident? That kind of stuff didn't happen to a nobody like me.
Grayson pulled his gaze back to me, the darkness fading in his gray eyes. "Yes. And you Bonded with him last night."