The days without hearing anything from Sasha ticked by mercilessly slow. Anna, thankfully, kept me too busy to think about how annoying and frustrating it was to wait for that arrogant woman.
Despite our dragons' presence, the less scrupulous people in the settlement by the lake--which we discovered the locals called the Under City--had been scoping out our camp. We decided it would be safer if we moved the camp closer to the cliffs of Storm Cove. Arkon much preferred this location, anyway; he spent most of his time on the rocky shores or in the water. The peak of the cliffs where we had laid our tent was less sandy too, so it made training easier for me; though, Anna must have gotten a kick out of watching me slip and slide about in the sand.
Yesterday we had sent a messenger bird back to the base to update Commander Hargin of our safe arrival and that we had found Sasha. I noticed in the letter that Anna had left out the fact Sasha hadn't decided if she was going to train me or not. I wanted to say something, but I kept my mouth shut. If Anna believed Sasha would come around, I would too--even if it felt like an impossible feat.
In the meantime, we practiced my combat and aerial drills everyday, while also struggling with the intense heat of the sun. Arkon couldn't fly for more than a few hours before he had to take refuge in the ocean. While he cooled off, Anna and I made repairs on our tent, which, as it turned out, was not designed for this kind of weather. We had to buy supplies from the Under City that could withstand the sun's beating.
Our shelter wasn't the only one struggling. Today, I begged Anna for a break from the sun. My skin had gone red and blistered on my shoulders--from before I realised taking layers off was a bad idea. The locals wore thin clothing that covered every inch of their bodies. Anna and I quickly adapted to their apparel, wearing the light, sleeveless under armour from our uniform and a thin shawl to protect our shoulders, neck, and face from the sun. The shawl didn't quite stay where it was supposed to when I trained with Anna, and after a few swings and missing her, I just needed a break.
She relented, wiping sweat from her forehead. The sweat was from excursion alone. The heat didn't appear to affect her in the slightest. While I burned, her skin went golden. I blamed her Bond with Aster. Even people who had spent their whole lives here still roasted when the sun was at its highest in the sky.
I thanked her then the God of Fortune and ran down the side of the cliff for the shore. Arkon, sensing my approach, emerged from the reef and came to collect me. He didn't have to read my mind to know where I wanted to go. After discovering the reef the other day, it was all I wanted to see. There were so many colourful fish to look at and the coral came in all kinds of shapes and sizes; I could spend the rest of my life here and still find new things to discover every day.
We swam together over the reef and in the deeper parts, sharing our excitement in the beautiful new world below the water. Then, when I wanted to check out the narrow nooks and crannies in the reef, I left his side to take in the wonder of all the colours up close. I swam until my muscles begged for reprieve then I rode on his back while he leisurely drifted along the surface. If he stayed still long enough, the fish would come to him and nibble at his scales. I enjoyed watching them, utterly fascinated by their day to day activities.
A shadow flew overhead.
Alert, I jumped to my feet and looked up in time to watch Syran land on the shore. I met Sasha's gaze for a beat, then she turned for the entrance of the cave. Syran followed, just as disinterested, and disappeared into the shadows, which was quite impressive considering the sun was angled perfectly to reveal the mouth of the cave.
It was the most contact I'd had with her since she had first turned me away. That had to mean something.
"I might be wrong here, Arkon, but I think we've been summoned."
"I believe you are correct." He turned his whole body around, using his powerful tail to cut through the water and take us straight to the cave.
Once we hit the shore, I hopped off his back and took the lead for the entrance. With so many people dwelling in the shelter, there was barely any room for Syran, let alone for Arkon, so he remained outside while I walked along the path towards the throne. Sasha's people were used to me by now, but this was the first time I'd been invited--potentially--into their home; they stopped whatever they were doing and left their station to follow me. It was a little eerie, and a nervous trickle slithered down my back.
Sasha grinned at me lazily, lounging on her throne sideways, legs dangling off the armrest. How she thought her stone throne was comfortable was beyond me. I'd rather sit on the mossy ground in this cave than up there. "All right, girl, I have to hand it to you: I thought you would have up and left by now. Not many would have the tenacity to wither away in the sun to get what they want." She stood up, a smooth motion that still somehow seemed lazy, like a jungle cat. Those brown eyes of hers levelled with me. "I have a task for you. If you complete it, I will teach you how to use Arkon's magic."
"Done."
She scoffed a laugh then chucked my chin playfully but there was something dark and wicked in her smile. "Don't agree to things you don't know the terms to. I'll give that little piece of advice for free."
She didn't seem to understand the lengths I would go to become strong enough to take down my enemies. That was her mistake.
"Fine," I replied thinly. "What exactly do you want me to do?"
She pulled out a map of the Desert Lands, drawn on a scrap of thin leather. Her finger lay on the mountains in the north. "There's a girl sick in a village here. I need you to bring her to me."
"Done."
She smirked. "Terms, dear girl. Terms."
I rolled my eyes. She had already given me my mission, was it really necessary to drag this out further? The sooner I finished this, the sooner I could begin my training. "What are the terms?"
"She can't fly," she finally divulged. "Her condition is very delicate. The high altitudes on a dragon will make her worse. You can take Annalyse and some horses. Arkon and Aster will stay here."
I gazed at her dubiously. Did she really expect us to leave our dragons behind while we travelled across the desert? "I don't think-"
"You're not about to tell me you can't make it across the desert without your dragon, are you?" she goaded. "Tsk. See? No guts."
I clenched my jaw. It was obvious bait, but damn it, if this was the only way for me to learn how to use my magic, I had to do it.
Arkon, I'm about to agree to something potentially stupid. He at least deserved a heads up.
I sensed his hesitance through our Bond. Whatever it may be, we can overcome it.
That's the thing, I confessed, holding my breath, there will be no 'we.' Anna and I are going to the mountains alone.
There was a beat of silence before his alarm slammed into me like a tidal wave. It was almost so overwhelming, it became difficult to discern his emotions from my own. How can we be sure she's not trying to get you killed so you're no longer a problem for her?
If she wanted us dead, we would know by now. She had showed me only a slither of her power. It wouldn't have been hard for her to have killed us. Besides, she's had more than a handful of opportunities to have killed us since our arrival and hadn't. That was something, wasn't it?
I shared my thoughts with Arkon, hoping to ease his mind.
His concern faded from my mind. Very well. If you believe this menial task will help us, then I will not interfere.
Thank you.
I smiled sweetly at Sasha and held my hand out for the map. "It won't be a problem."
Her dark eyes glimmered like the stars at night. "Glad to hear it. Try not to take too long, a girl's life is on the line." Her smile was teasing, but her tone had gone somber, and I suddenly hoped I didn't find a way to fuck this up.
I took the map to Annalyse. She was by the cliffs with Aster; her legs hung precariously off the side, while she laid back using Aster's claw as support. It wasn't fair that the heat did nothing to her. In fact, it might actually make her even more gorgeous. Her red hair had more blonde in it, making it shimmer like rose gold, and her skin took on a bronze tone, which was blatantly exposed by her crop top and shorts. I could think of a few men back at the base who'd be drooling at the sight, my brother being one of them.
Anna peered at me through slit eyes; they were darker with the contrast of her lighter hair. "I saw you go in there. What's the verdict?"
"We've got a mission. If we complete it, she'll train me."
"Oh!" She sat up, swinging her feet away from the cliff edge. "This'll be easy! Where are we going?"
I filled her in on the mission. She was as happy about leaving the dragons behind as I was but seemed to understand when I mentioned the girl we were bringing back couldn't fly. We gathered all our supplies, strapping them to the horses, before saying goodbye to our dragons. Aster gave Annalyse some flint stone so she could use her fire to protect us. Arkon bumped me with his muzzle. "Be safe, Little One. If you need anything, call me."
I nodded, though I had no intention of calling him. This was something I needed to do on my own. Obviously, Sasha didn't think highly of me; this mission was my chance to show her exactly what I was capable of without my dragon's aid.
We set off for our destination. It was very strange to get back on a horse after riding a dragon for the past two months. Horse weren't nearly as wide as a dragon's neck, nor were they as reliant for me to lean in with them as they turned. The ride was much smoother, but it was so slow; even at a canter, I couldn't get the same thrill of the wind in my hair as I did on Arkon's back. I hadn't realised how magical it felt to be on a dragon; I'd felt unstoppable, so empowered soaring high, gazing down at the world. Here, I was stuck on the ground, not able to see more than a hundred feet in front of me.
Glancing over, I saw Annalyse was struggling with it as well. She kept shifting in her saddle, trying to sit higher to see further ahead. Disappointed, she threw her shawl over her shoulder and huffed.
The sun began to set and we hadn't gotten as far as I thought we would. I don't think we were even halfway there. Sighing in frustration, we decided to make camp, using the sand dune as our cover from behind.
The next day was more of the same, gazing at the endless sand around us, waiting for our horses to magically sprout wings. It was ridiculous. We should be grateful Sasha let us borrow her enchanted horses--which I learned recently cost a lot to have done--and not left us with a horse that didn't float above the sand. There was once a time when I looked forward to my rides with Hiron up the mountain. Though, how my family came to have him, I would never know. We certainly never would have been able to afford enchanting him, let alone buying him already enchanted.
Thinking back to my hunting days, I was finally able to back into the groove of horseback riding. I found a new appreciation for riding, in the sky and on land. Both had their own journey to fulfil and different stories to tell, but regardless of which one I took I would end up in the same spot.
Unfortunately, Annalyse didn't appear share the same revelation as me, and did nothing but grumble and whine about how uncomfortable horses were.
"Sit like this," I suggested to her, making a big show of digging my heels into the stirrups so my full weight wasn't in the saddle. A little trick I learned to take the weight off your butt and give your legs a chance to stretch.
She copied me. There was an immediate difference in her mood. She relaxed more and offered me a timid smile. "You used to do this all the time, didn't you?"
"Yeah," I answered quietly, staring at the back of my horse's head. "Everyday I'd hike the mountain near Brar. It was where the best game was. Everyone feared going that far away from the village boundaries, but someone had to bring food home."
Her grin grew. "If there's one thing I've learned from you, you've never backed down from a challenge. You must have been a nightmare child!" She laughed straight from the gut.
"You have no idea," I giggled. I couldn't help it. Her laugh was contagious. "I don't know how my parents managed to raise me and Jacob at the same time. They were fully prepared for anything when Erika came along. Poor kid couldn't get away with anything." The joy bubbling in my chest came to a heavy halt. All the memories came flooding in. All the good times we had together. We'd been poor, but we had been happy. It hurt that I would never see them again, hear them laugh, hold them tight. Tell them I loved them one last time.
"Your family sounds wonderful," Annalyse said quietly, forcing the conversation to move forward. "You loved each other no matter what. You could do whatever you wanted and your parents would still be proud of you." Swallowing, she dropped her gaze to the back of her horse's head. "I wish I grew up with something so beautiful."
"Well, there's nothing left of them anymore." I sounded as hollow as I felt.
"That's not true." She pulled her horse around and laid a hand on my chest, right over the ache in my heart. Tears brimmed in her eyes. "They're right where they need to be--with you and Jacob. Don't let their death ruin the memories you have. Cherish them. Know that you were loved. Use it to move forward. To fight for your new family."
Now that we had stopped moving and we had no breeze to alleviate the sun's wrath, the heat was suffocating. Still, it didn't stop the tears from coming. I squeezed Anna's hand and choked on my tears. "It hurts so fucking much, Anna."
"I know," she sobbed, holding me tight. "It's okay."
"It's not!" I dropped my head on her shoulder. The guilt was unbearable. "I loved everyone in Brar, but I didn't want to be stuck there. When Jacob left, I felt that more than ever. The first time I met Aries. . . I knew what I wanted to do with my life. Something inside me told me that I was meant to be a Dragon Knight, just like him. But I couldn't." Just when I thought it hurt too much to talk, the words came rolling out of my mouth. There was no stopping it. I had to get it all off my chest.
"Because your family needed you," Annalyse went on softly. "You couldn't leave them."
I held her tighter than I had held anyone in my life. I feared if I let her go, I wouldn't be able to find the strength to say what needed to be said. "Now here I am. I got what I wanted--I'm a fucking Dragon Knight! It's my fault they're-"
"Don't say that," she silenced me, shaking me something fierce. "It's not your fault, Eva. It's Darius' fault. He killed them, not you."
"And I'm friends with his brother," I cried, feeling all the more tormented. The gods were playing a sick joke on me, making me fall for Grayson--or Dex--so hard, while all along he knew exactly what his brother had done to me and Jacob. He did nothing. He said nothing. He might not have known the effect he had on me, but he must have known how messed up it was for him to be my friend. "I don't understand how Jacob can be his partner."
All of my energy faded. Sniffling pitifully, I pulled away from her and readjusted my horse so he didn't have to be so awkwardly close to Anna's mare. I wiped my nose with the corner of my shawl.
Anna fixed her hair and brushed her tears away with the back of her hand. In just under a minute, she was composed and didn't look like she'd been balling her eyes out with me a few moments ago. "Jacob met Grayson before anything happened to you and your family. Trust me, as soon as the word came in what happened to Brar, Jacob wanted nothing to do with him. My mother wouldn't allow it; they're too good together. She stuck them in a room and made them figure things out. I don't know exactly what they did or said to each other, but they came out of the room at the end of the day as friends, bloody and bruised, but they'd worked it out." Her gaze settled on me sternly. "Grayson is a good person, Eva. Obviously, he's done a lot of things he's not proud of, which proves the kind of man he is. What he's done in the past is done, no one can change it, not even him, despite how much he wished he could. He's the same person you've always known him to be. The same man you fell in love with."
Is that what this is? Is that why I'm so mad at him?
"By all means," she continued, "be mad at him. You have every right; he let you get close without telling you who he really was. But, please, forgive him for not being able to pick his family. Don't mistake him for his brother. He'll never be like him."
I'd thought that him lying to me and him being a Fortys were one and the same, but they were entirely separate issues. Annalyse was right, he didn't choose to be born into his family; it wasn't fair to hate him for something he didn't have a choice in. He left when he could, changed his life for the better. I could forgive him for that. Lying to me, though? Nah-huh. It didn't matter the circumstances, no one should have lied to me, not even Jacob. I was mad at both of them. Annalyse was helping me process everything, so she was already forgiven for lying to me.
Sighing, I fixed my hair, tying it back into a ponytail. I smiled weakly at her, trying to find some semblance of composure. We still had a mission to do. "All right. I'll forgive him for that. I still don't want to see him. Seeing him again will be too soon."
She grinned. "That's all I ask right now." She peered around the empty desert and released an explosive sigh. "Look, there's an outcropping over there. Let's set up camp there then you can tell me all about Brar."
It might hurt to bring up those memories, but Anna was right; the only way for the people of Brar to live on was through Jacob and I. We needed to talk about them, to share our stories, share the memories of those we had loved.
I wouldn't let them fade into oblivion. As long as I breathed, the world would know of the people of Brar. Know their love, their sorrow, their tragic end.