When all was still again, Ulrich led the three back to his lair. Selena did all she could to keep from lashing out, but her anger burned inside her every time she looked at the green titan. He still had yet to tell her precisely what brought Thor to madness, and Selena deserved an answer now.
After cleaning and bandaging her severed arm, Silver stayed by her side, but Rahim remained behind, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Whenever he attempted to help Selena, Silver shooed him away, so instead, he followed them from a distance. Growing flustered by his guardian role, Selena pulled her arm away. "Silver, please stop it."
"But now you'll need a new one. And after all the work I put into—"
"I don't give a damn about my hand." She moved away from the startled Silver to confront the Emerald Dragon. "How could you let the Lich do that to Thor? Why didn't you stop it?"
There was no remorse in Ulrich's voice, and Selena's anger swelled; his explanation lacked genuine concern. "Once you two began my trial, there was no stopping the outcome. This test was something that Thor had to face and control, as did you."
"You still should have gotten me. I could have stopped him from—"
"No, you couldn't." Ulrich's voice turning to thunder made Selena flinch and step back. "You couldn't even save yourself. Your dragon form would have overpowered and corrupted you if it weren't for Thor."
Selena stomped away from them to avoid hearing anymore. "I don't care. I'm going to find him and bring him back."
Silver reached out for her, but she shrugged him away. "No, wait."
Ulrich grunted, his eyes turning to slits. "Young One, you are in no condition to go after Thor. If you should have any chance against the Lich, you must remain here and complete your training."
"To Oblivion with your training. I'm going, and nobody is going to stop me."
"How are you going to do that?" Rahim's eyes darted between Silver and Ulrich; his shoulders trembled as he feared she would strike him down out of blind rage.
Selena squinted her eyes as she peered to the cavern's exit. "I'll fly."
Silver's jaw dropped. "You have no control over your dragon state yet."
"Then you can fly me. Take me, now."
"No, I won't." Selena couldn't bring herself to face him, and it took all of her strength not to cry again. "My dear, I understand. No matter what I say or do, I know I cannot change your mind. If you want to go, we can't stop you, but I will not be the one responsible for you getting hurt."
Ulrich's roars made his mountain quiver with fear. "This is foolish. Young One, you will kill yourself if you continue."
"I don't care. I just want Thor back." Selena reached the edge of the cavern and focused on forcing her transformation. However, she couldn't bring herself to change, except for when she was enraged or in danger. She was angry now, so why couldn't she alter her form? Her eyes began flooding with every failed attempt. Silver and Rahim watched her as she grumbled and stomped, but her efforts remained vain.
Eventually, she gave up, sat over the edge, and turned her gaze upwards at the stars; her mind was devoid of all thought except for Thor's torment. Ulrich allowed this to happen. He's supposed to help us, but he didn't intervene. "And he had the gall to tell me to let him go? I will never let him go. Thor, I promise I will find you and bring you back. You told me you would never leave my side." Selena brought up her knees and buried her tear-stained face into her thighs with only the strength to scream and cry.
Minutes turned to hours as she slipped further into depression. Silver had already taken Rahim down the mountain, but Selena didn't want to move. Silver returned for her, but he gave her what he thought was much-needed space while she dealt with her grief.
On the other hand, Ulrich retreated to his lair, his steps slow and falling with heavy dread. "I must remain in solitude and meditate on what transpired here."
Silver refused to meet the dragon god's gaze and asked for a third time, "What did you do to them?"
"The only thing that I could do. Thor needed to overcome his anger, and Selena had to detach herself from everything she knew and everyone she loved."
Silver's face boiled like a whistling tea kettle. "You can't do that—I've warned you."
Ulrich snapped his fangs and fixated his pupiled-slits on the non-flinching Silver. "As I've warned you, demigod. You insisted that I train them, and I did as you requested. You brought this upon them, not me." Silver didn't buckle down to the Divine's wrath but instead watched from the corner of his eye as Ulrich made haste and sought refuge within his cave to stay in seclusion. Even after Ulrich was gone, Silver kept his post by the entrance and watched Selena as she kept whispering and pleading for Thor to return.
When morning came, the two hadn't moved. Silver only broke their distance to offer Selena some water and food, but she denied those luxuries. But he stepped back as she shuffled to her feet and made her way towards the trail leading back to the library. His eyes widened as she marched on without regard to the danger of the swirling clouds defending Ulrich's peak. "My dear, stop."
Ignoring him, she summoned wind gusts surrounding her in a protective barrier against Ulrich's violent clouds. Thor! Thor! Her pleas and calls went unheeded; Thor's silence and emptiness unnerved her.
Selena continued her low, depressing march before leaping off the edge, tumbling below without considering the consequences. Perhaps, she believed, her impending doom would trigger her to change form. Selena didn't fear the fall, not after her first flight with Thor ended with her slipping off his back when flying without a proper saddle, unafraid but rather mesmerized by the scenery. She admired the endless green sea expanding over the horizon and the terrain moving like ocean waves.
Silver wasn't too far away. He morphed into his serpent dragon guise and dove in pursuit to catch her. He snatched her with his ivory talons, trapping her in his clawed cage, and when he brought her back to Ulrich's lair, Silver leveled his snake-like muzzle with her face and roared between his bared fangs. What in Oblivion are you doing?! Killing yourself won't bring Thor back.
Selena slipped through his tightened talons. It didn't daunt her in the least that Silver could speak to her directly through telepathy, and yet, it was the first time she heard his voice boom through her mind. "Don't do that."
Do what?
"That—talking to me. That mental bond is supposed to be between Thor and me."
Silver hissed, and Selena knew she struck a nerve, but her unrelenting emotions clouded her regard for others. You know I'm not like the other dragons, and I'm not bound to a handler. I can talk to whomever I wish and do as I please.
"I don't care."
Yes, you do. Why are you trying to kill yourself?
"I wasn't," she snapped, "I hoped that maybe I could...." her voice trailed off.
That you could do what? He paused before coming to the realization. Did you think that throwing yourself off the cliff would trigger your powers? When he saw that Selena's face flooded upon catching her true intentions, Silver recoiled and softened his tone. That's not the way to do it, my dear. You must trust Ulrich.
"After what he did to Thor?"
You know Ulrich was trying to help him and had nothing to do with what happened.
"No, he wasn't." She stormed off. He wasn't trying to help Thor.
Silver snaked across the ground and stood between her and the cave. If you intend to find him, I'll at least go with you. He lowered himself to the ground, defeated and undone.
Selena paused before accepting his offer, and she climbed over his back and grabbed his golden horns. Unlike Thor's jagged and rough scales, Silver's were smooth as silk. With serene grace, he slithered upwards, and the two were airborne. Whenever she rode with Thor, the flight was a bit more linear. Flying with Silver, however, she had to adjust to how his elongated body swayed back and forth; he flew like how a snake moved across the ground.
Silver held his tongue when Selena repeatedly called out for her dear companion, not wanting to interfere if her voice could reach the fallen dragon. He circled the Aurora Peaks to catch a glimpse or even a shadow, but their search remained futile. Yet, Selena didn't want to give up.
Thor! Where are you? Thor! She looked out over the horizon, and her chest tightened when he was nowhere in sight. No... no!
The furthest they flew until the Opal River was well within their aerial view. It was already midday, and Silver knew that Selena was growing weary. Despite her escalating protests, she eventually agreed to turn back; Silver slithered around and made his return to the mountain. He avoided the peak, and the pair landed by the library tower at sundown, with Rahim waiting for the two outside.
Noticing how their search accomplished naught, Rahim approached them with care to avoid triggering Selena's depression. "I'm sorry. I understand this is hard for you right now, but we'll eventually find and save him." She only mumbled under her breath as she dismounted and made her way back inside.
Silver, transforming back into a human, dusted off his jacket and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry for your loss, my dear. But right now, we must focus on getting you to Dark Blood Hold."
Selena paused mid-strut before reaching the tower's front door. "I won't abandon Thor."
Rahim flinched from Selena's harsh and cold tone. "We still have to prepare for the eclipse."
"It doesn't matter. It's not going to help me get Thor back."
"It can if we can stop the Lich," Silver began, but she wasn't listening. She kicked some rocks and swaggered inside the main room, leaving the dismayed Silver and Rahim behind. "We'll leave in a few hours."
The long night was upon them. Silver did his best to give Selena the space she needed, but it disturbed him when she first turned away and stayed on her side for the entire evening. All he could do was leave again for his laboratory and work on building a new hand to replace the one she broke during Ulrich's training, but he would check on her every few hours. He had hoped to finish it at Lord Godfrey's fortress without using his laboratory.
Before the sun was even up, Silver went to wake her, but she interrupted him before he could even touch her. "I couldn't sleep."
Solemn, he withdrew his hand. "We need to leave if we're to reunite with your parents. Lord Godfrey will be expecting us to arrive soon."
Selena slumped out of bed and trudged down the stairs. Her face was pale, and her eyes were swollen and red from hours of silently crying. However, she paused and jolted as the floor suddenly rumbled, and they heard explosions erupting and blasting from a distance. "Silver, what is that?"
Sharing in her confusion, he shook his head; Selena snatched Dragonheart leaning against the pavilion columns, and they rushed outside. However, a hole blasted through the ceiling, and a bomb landed not far from the two, exploding upon impact. The pair flew back from the force, and before they could brace themselves, more explosives fell and destroyed parts of Silver's library.
A large fleet of rusting metal and solid oak flew above them—about thirty-six heavy frigates ranging between twenty-eight to fifty guns. Solid masts upon the heavily-armed airborne ships were adorned with grey and tan sails, but Selena gritted her teeth when realizing they were the dreaded sky pirates Rahim warned them about prior. Silver bit his cheeks and cursed their luck. The ceiling collapsed from more dropped bombs, and boulders caved in the bedroom. Selena shielded her face from the scattered debris. "Rahim is still out there; we need to find him."
Silver didn't argue; the pair ran out the exit before another boulder crashed down and sealed them out. Several bombs plummeted before them, and a band of mercenaries marched from the smoke. Selena's eyes jumped over their round knitted caps to the single golden earrings they wore in one ear.
One whom Selena presumed was their leader stepped forth. A single rope of cloth tucked down into his vest was donned around his neck. "The Queen of Dragons," he shouted and pointed at her through the clash of their swords. Ignoring Silver's and Selena's snarls, the leader ordered two men to charge by gesturing with his gun. One of his nearby comrades leapt forward; the other refused to budge, and the leader used the pointed end of his weapon to push him down. Silver pulled out an Aether sword from underneath his sleeve and sliced through the first pirate with a sharp gleam twinkling in his eye. Cleaved in two, it was like cutting melted butter.
Dragonheart whistled upon unsheathing, and its copper-tinted blade shimmered from every strike Selena made while dodging as best as she could. Back to using only one hand again, she could no longer use a shield to protect herself like she used to. Her opponent currently outmatched her in speed. The mercenary parried Selena's blade and surprised her with a sneak attack by pulling a hidden dagger from his belt. However, before he made his blow, Silver spun around and thrust his sword deep into the pirate's chest and threw his twitching body down into a pool of his blood.
The leader and the rest of his gang rushed forward. Frustrated at how slow she was with her blade, Selena swept her foot to the side and made parting motions with her arms; the floor grew unsteady and crumbled. The pirates did their best to keep balance as they approached, but the ground caved in, trapping them in the bottomless pit.
When Silver consoled Selena, she pushed him away and made haste down the destroyed hallway. Yet Rahim was nowhere to be found, but they heard the distant sounds of gunfire and Rahim screaming inappropriate words at his enemies. As the two made their way towards the entrance, they saw several sky pirates fighting Rahim. He shot one, only to be greeted by three more from behind. Silver rushed to his aid and countered their attacks with a stream of Aether flowing from his hands, forming icicle-like lances striking through his opponents.
Tethered ropes dangled from the airships surrounding Silver's tower, and more pirates arrived while bombs rained down and balls of fire arched like meteors. Soon, the pirates had the three cornered in an enclosed circle of men and thieves.
She had a brief moment to look up and scowl at Ulrich's lack of interference yet again; Heaven's Tear trembled and shuddered, but the Divine remained ensconced within his lair. Swearing under her breath, she sheathed Dragonheart and summoned a whip made of fire, lashing it at the brutes' legs. They broke formation, and Selena beckoned Rahim and Silver to follow her.
However, from a nearby docked vessel came more fiendish felons jumping from ladders and swinging on ropes. The impressively sizeable heavy frigate of sixty guns drifted overhead, nearly blotching the morning sun from the sky. A heavily armed marauder wearing a wide-brimmed hat watched the action from the deck as the cannons fired and his crew of over eighteen hundred scrambled to prepare for the queen's capture.
She focused on powering her attacks to clear their path; her breaths were deep as she gathered the surrounding energy. When Silver and Rahim dove for cover, she unleashed it. Concentric rings of blue Aether exploded in a shockwave wiped the ground clear of pirates, but her magic knocked over parts of the library, and the debris separated her from Silver and Rahim. Manipulating Aether was such an exhilarating feeling but also terrifying.
Even as she stood there, sparks of Aether zapped across her body like tendrils of lightning as Selena continued tapping into her rage: the only haunting thought that drove her was losing Thor. Before she unleashed her fury and retaliated, Selena spun around just as the pirate captain was upon her; his massive crew swarmed and threw heavy metal chains, pinning her to the ground within seconds.
Silver and Rahim fought their way into the fray, but the captain grabbed Selena's hair through the tangled mess of metal and placed his sword's tip against her neck. "Unless you want your queen's head on a platter, I suggest you back away right now."
Silver and Rahim exchanged glances before heeding the captain's warning; the gang of thieves kept their weapons pointed at the two as they dropped to their knees and raised their hands in surrender. Silver never tore his gaze from Selena's, even as the captain ordered his crew to search their pockets and take what the trio had on them at the time. Rahim took issue in them liberating him of his revolver and Aynu necklace; he held on to both for as long as possible, but when the captain threatened him again, Rahim finally yielded. Silver remained stoic as the brutes searched his jacket and snatched the pocket watch that showed Aydin's memories.
Selena bit her tongue when the captain grabbed Dragonheart but fought against the captain's hold when two pirates searched Thor's pavilion and returned holding his golden diamond bracelets and ruby chain, and her face flooded over. "No, those were Thor's. Put them back."
The captain yanked on her hair and spat in her face. "Your dragon ain't here, now, is he? Take your spoils back to the ships and leave these two here. We've got the queen."
Silver and Rahim stepped to the side as they exercised with great caution in not provoking the sky pirates any more than their already unpleasant exchange. However, Rahim hissed through his teeth and raised a fist as if to challenge the captain. "What do you scoundrels want with her?"
"Our business is not with you, boy." The captain threw Selena down, face planting into the ground, and ordered his men to bind her arms and legs. Her vision blurred, and she drowned out the captain's voice. A deep ring buzzed through her ears while the pirates dragged her on board the massive, sinister black ship of oak and steel, cluttered with crates filled with illegal cargo.
Silver stomped forward as the gang finished packing their plunder, but the captain's crew posted by the boarding plank pushed him back with their weapons, preventing him from stepping a single foot aboard their vessels. He snarled through his teeth and raised a fist. "I swear by the Divines I will murder you all."
The captain laughed. "Go ahead then. If you do, she dies as well."
One of his mercenaries yelled. "We're all set, Captain Battleraven."
"Capital—let's be off, then." Selena's eyes swelled as the pirates removed their plank and set sail skyward. She maintained eye contact with Silver and Rahim for as long as possible as the captain's large fleet flew away from Heaven's Tear. Battleraven marched to her and leaned on one knee. "I offer you my humblest apologies for the rude welcome, Your Grace," he mocked, "welcome aboard the Blood Diamond."
*****