Chapter Four: Tremble
Gasping, I threw myself from my bed. Vomit chased its way up my throat as I scrambled for the bathroom. I gripped the edge of the toilet bowl, my fingers digging into the cold porcelain as I puked up what little breakfast I had managed to keep down. Sweaty tendrils of hair clung to my forehead and to the back of my damp neck.
The nightmare was a strange one. The world was encased in ice and rage, and I felt confused seeing a world I didn't know while mourning for something I did not really understand. Maybe it was me, seeing a world I no longer recognised without Nethore, and I mourned for his presence. Slowly, I stood and used the toilet for balance. My mouth tasted of sick and I brushed my teeth quickly before peeling off my pyjamas, which were damp with sweat and slightly splattered with vomit.
I faced the mirror, naked and trembling. My skin had clutched onto some colour. I saw the smattering of freckles that ran across the bridge of my nose and across the top of my shoulders. Small breasts, wider hips. The curl of a scar that ran over the swell of one hip from where Amon's claws had dug too greedily into my skin. I turned, steeling myself for the mess of what lay behind.
Still, tears rose unbidden.
Those scars were gruesome. Torn skin that had healed badly roped across the length of my back, between the space of my narrow shoulders, and down the slope of my back. Some snuck to the front of my body from the times I had tried to dodge the whip as best I could, or from when I'd been tied to that podium and a curling piece of metal had snagged onto the softer flesh covering my hip bone.
Considering all the things that had happened, the way I looked shouldn't have bothered me. Only it did; all my life, I had found inspiration in the pretty and beautiful things in life and I had never considered myself either of those things before the mountain, but now it hurt to look at myself.
For every tear that fell because of what they had done to me, Acheron won again. And again.
He's alive.
I shucked on a string-top and trousers and stepped out into the narrow, white-walled hallway. The dawn's light was trickling in through the panel of glass at the side of the door and I was drawn by the light, while a part of me yearned to immerse myself in the darkness again.
Bare feet padded down the hallway and I found that the front door was unlocked. A slim figure stood there, her eyes upturned to the sky.
"I am afraid." Jenna turned to me, her shoulders curving in. "I see so many things, so many possibilities for what's coming. It's like my visions are tied to the fate of the Riders, and your fate."
Fear was too common now. It replaced the easy joy that had once been our lives.
"What do you see?"
"The Vidalin's Rider's fate is not a good one." Jenna looked so tired, so worn that I wanted to drag her into my arms and just annoy her with silly stories about school and make her a nice mug of tea and let her vent. But there was nothing silly to say, nothing funny in my life anymore to make her smile.
"Kalan will not let anything happen to you," I told her vehemently.
"Dia!" She whirled around, annoyed. "I am not worried about me. I have my own guard, my own people standing behind me now. I am worried about you. The future holds only dark paths for the Vidalin Rider and in many of them, you are the villain of the Valaxain people. Painted as an evil figure, with such anger in her heart."
A villain. My arms curled around myself, my jaw tight. "Am I loved in any of these visions?"
"The Vidalin Rider isn't here to be loved," Jenna told me bluntly. "There is no way around them fearing you and what you and Nethore can do, but you could be good."
"I am good," I snapped.
Lilac eyes assessed me frankly, and I realised that if she could see everything that might happen in my future, she could also see what I had done already. The people I had killed in the mountain...what I could do with a curl of shadow, and what I had done to those Seal members.
"Are you?" Cold fingers traced the curve of my back, brushing lightly against the scars under my shirt. "You should bear your scars. People get unnerved by a person's confidence to bear the worst parts of themselves. It could be another advantage that you'll desperately need."
"Can't you just tell me what you see?" I jerked my shoulder away from her touch.
"I can." Her eyes fluttered close for a moment, and she blew out a tired breath. "I see demons, not Innochs, flooding Valaxia. No one will stop them, no one can. Except for the remaining Riders who will be scattered by fear. The armies of Lycans, of Elves, of Innochs and of every other breed in Valaxia have to come together or...not to be dramatic or anything...everyone will die."
"You are being dramatic," I said quietly.
Those eyes were burning as she snapped her lids open. A hand rose again, not to stroke my scars, but to touch my temple. For a long minute I felt nothing but the pads of her fingers, and then I saw.
I was Valaxia, the rolling hills and quaint little towns going up in flames. Ice crept along the lakes, and mermaids screamed in agony as they froze in their final convulsions of death. The sky was stained red, the soil damp with blood. The air was dead, the grass crushed under the boots of a marching crowd who held bodies on long spears and cheered at the terrified screams of the people they were approaching.
I saw bodies. I saw Ithrall, and then passing images of us. The Ashbourne five and the other trainee Riders. With each flickering image, the changes were minute. We were bloody, we were angry, and we were the last defensive line. A line that would not stand forever. It was too small.
Then, the image changed, and I saw myself, reflected in the future. A woman with no remorse, who bared the scars on her back and the cold rage in her eyes. A dark shadow flew over her and the Riders around her seemed to swell, their own affinities boosted by the energy pulsating from her. From me.
Then I saw two figures facing each other. The surroundings were murky, as if the place they would meet wasn't certain but that fact that they would meet was certain. Two people, with identical hair and eyes. One towered, a giant of impressive stature and strength, and the other was one who kept her chin up, despite the height difference. Darkness and ice, coiling together.
Hands stretching across the distance between each other to...
I reeled back from Jenna's touch with tears dampening my cheeks. I didn't care what I looked like in the future. I cared about those terrified people and their screams, and the bodies soaking the pure land of Valaxia.
"Your visions are strange."
"Tell me about it," she said. "They are the future, they are symbols of the future, they are the turn of someone's thoughts."
I didn't want to think about it. "Wake the others up and tell them that we're training. We've been too lax."
She gave me a look. "You've definitely changed. The Neely Lynch who left our house, afraid of what was to come, would never have told me what to do. Not with that confidence anyway."
"You have purple eyes, Jenna. We've all changed."
Laughing, Jenna strolled back into the house. She would do what I said, but she wouldn't be quick about it. So typically Jenna. While she was gone, I let the last glimmer of that vision rise to my mind again. That had been Mazus Lynch standing opposite me. We hadn't looked aggressive, more suspicious of each other than anything else, but we had been reaching across to each other to shake the other's hand. In what future would Mazus ever be before me, in what future would I ever consider shaking his hand?
He had been wronged by the Riders of Valaxia and suffered a great loss, but his retaliation was too brutal. Too merciless.
'Wouldn't I do the same thing?' A cold chill wracked down my spine. 'Didn't I say I would do the same thing if Nethore was taken from me?"
Even the thought of it had darkness scurrying from my skin and the great pines creaked violently. I felt the inhabitants of the forest scattering and I reigned myself in with a great shuddering breath. Turning away from the dawn's light, I headed back inside to get my sword.
Where are you, Ne?
∞ ∞∞∞∞ ∞∞∞∞ ∞∞∞∞ ∞∞∞∞ ∞∞∞∞ ∞∞∞∞ ∞∞
Dem met the strike of Jamie's blow with a laugh and I rolled onto my back, snorting in amusement. The grassy embankment was slick and gently sloped. My shirt clung to my back with sweat and my arms felt like lead, but I couldn't peel my eyes away from the fight unfolding in front of us, from the unguarded amusement in my friends expressions. It was beauty like I hadn't seen in a long time and I realised with a sudden and violent lurch that I missed the smiles of my friends. The true smiles, that rose so easily.
Jamie shrieked as water speared its way towards her and she rolled to the side. I bucked as I was drenched in it, scrambling to my feet as Dem rolled his hands over each other and the rain that had fallen during the night rose from the grass. They were glistening droplets that began to gather together at a frightening pace.
The shadows that curled around me slipped between my friends, around the water gathering on Dem's hands and the energy sparking on Jamie's skin. Curiosity filled me as I examined the energy in Jamie's skin, the raw power that I could feed, steal, or just watch.
"How close are our neighbours?" I called out to Kalan.
"There is no one for miles," the Lycan called back, absently stroking Jenna's hair. It was grossly romantic, and I rolled my eyes at her as she smirked at me.
"Dem stand back please."
Jamie stared over her shoulder at me. I knew she felt the shadows sliding along her skin, their touch soft and comforting; felt them slid along the crackle of her lightning and seep down into that well of power. I closed my eyes and let myself immerse in the feeling of lightning, widening that well of power. Usually Jamie could use her affinity to snap out a quick, scorching bolt of lightning to down an opponent.
Darkness intertwined with the scorch of lightning and as I opened my eyes, Jamie struck. Grey clouded the sky, and a dark shadow passed over the picturesque cottage. The sky trembled and boomed, the crack of thunder sounding like giants colliding behind the guard of grey.
Then, Jamie's eyes were like pure energy and streaks of lightning crackled against the blanket of clouds, veins stretching out across the sky. It was blinding, pulsating from the might of our intertwined affinities. Radiance filled the sky, and Jamie's jaw was gritted so tight as she focused on it.
Her hand swung down, and a bolt cleaved downwards and struck the ground viciously. Jamie's hand dropped, and she was panting, but her eyes were wide and disbelieving. Fatigue trembled my limbs, but I couldn't help but match Jamie's disbelieving smile.
A blackened circle now stood on the lawn, the grass burnt to nothing and smoke curled up.
"I feel really cool," Jamie whispered.
Dem took a disbelieving step forward, eyeing the black circle with a gleam that should terrify anyone who looked upon it. It was the look of a man who had gears turning in that head, gears that created plans and ideas that us mere mortals would never dream of. I may have been the Vidalin Rider, the villain in the eyes of the Valaxain people if Jenna was to be believed, but Dem was the one whose mind should be feared. I wasn't the leader here, I was the one who enacted Dem's plans.
We would still have been on Naughton mountain if it wasn't for him.
"Try it again," Dem breathed. "With me."
"Why not me?" Gabriel rolled back on the balls of his feet, a challenge in those violet-blue eyes.
"Because we do not want an inferno to burn down those pines," Dem answered. He took Jamie's place and I reached for him. It was harder this time, like a muscle that was never used. Shadow twined with the affinity of water coursing through his soul, and those grey cloud trembled again. Rain just burst from them, cascading down with frightening intensity. Dem moved, his hands pushing to the side and the water gathered.
It spun around him, spreading like arms. It was beautiful and mesmerising, like the sunlight sought to gleam through the clear water and sparkle across the grass. Dem's eyes were wide, his expression fixed in determination as a hand flicked out.
Only for a thick tendril of water to flick out and smack Jamie over the back of the head.
"Bastard!" Jamie snarled, launching herself at that whirling guard of water. She crashed into it, only to become trapped in water. She bucked and floated, and even though she was drowning, she smiled at the display.
Dem dropped his hands and the water surged downward. It splashed onto the grass, creating a darkened circle around him. Whirling around to me, his chest was heaving with the effort. "That was...exhilarating."
I pressed fingers to my throbbing temples, my teeth gritted against the headache burning there. I rolled up onto my feet again, feeling as if I had taken a beating. Dem and Jamie seemed tired, yet exhilarated.
Muttering that I was going to take a shower, then we were going to plan our next, next move because I felt increasingly unnerved if I felt I had no semblance of control on how things were unfolding, I padded inside. My shower was short and freezing and I scraped back my blunt hair before shucking on a pair of dark pants. I bypassed a multi-coloured top that always seemed to haunt my clothes-pile to shuck on a dark-grey, long sleeved top.
The board was set up when I stepped into the sitting room. It was a gorgeous little room with a too-big fireplace, and small and squashy couches that were already choked with people. It was the kind of warm comfort I loved, and I tried to imagine myself living somewhere like this when I was older, and the world wasn't so hell-bent on punishing me.
I curled a leg beneath me on the armchair they had left out for me. Kalan examined the board with barely contained approval, his dark eyes scanning the faces of the Seal members we had yet to...question.
Dem stood in front of us all, holding the pointer he so desperately loved to wave around and boss us with. "So, this board is beautifully arranged by our resident clean-freak Neely and looks very detailed, but it gives us two to three vital pieces of information. First, is that Marion Revel and Eli Ireli are the ones responsible for our dragons' disappearance. Second, is that thanks of Jamie's superb acting, we know that they have not stored them in a human realm base but here in Valaxia; and third, is that they plan to breed off the Vidalin and kill him."
Gabriel snorted. "Fools probably haven't realised that a Vidalin's off-spring usually become the breed of their mates."
I frowned. "I didn't know that. Don't the off-spring usually vary?"
Dem leaned forward slightly, his mouth opening as he sensed, like a shark senses blood, a chance to tell someone something he knew and they didn't. "Dragons have a unique ability to only be one breed. There are no cross-breeds, but there can be variations in a dragon's ability and that of their Rider. If Nethore were to pick a life partner, in say...Turana, and they were to have little cute dragon babies, those hatchlings would be most likely Thunduns. If one of those eggs contained a Vidalin dragon, that little dark-scaled baby would not hatch until Nethore was dead."
"Why not?" one of the Luna-guard questioned. She was a tall, dark-skinned woman with thick, toned shoulders and eyes that were a glittering sloe-colour and missed nothing. Incidentally, when I asked her for her name, she had told me it was Agnes. I didn't dare show any emotion on my face at that information, but Agnes looked like she could level me with one punch.
"Because Vidalins are volatile enough by themselves. When they become aware of another Vidalin, no matter how far apart they are, they are driven by the need to kill the other," Dem explained.
"There were two Vidalin Riders once..." I hesitated. "And they were friends until they went through the Change and they became bitter enemies all of a sudden, driven by an insane need to kill the other. Their fight levelled a town full of innocents and left only one Rider standing. It's all about balance. Two Vidalins tips the scales wholly in the one direction."
"So, they will kill your dragon if he chooses to mate and their egg does not hatch," Agnes clarified. "Let's hope he isn't like the Lycan males I know."
"Dragons choose only one life partner. They're like Lycans in a way, without the whole moon-bound thing. They're more like Innochs then, in the way they chose their life partners."
"Innochs only choose one life partner?" Jamie asked too loudly, too curiously. "Guess we know we're all being invited to the wedding of our favourite awkward couple."
Eyes turned to me. I tucked my drink closer to my chest, scowling. "Stop, lads. If Zephyr even looks at me when we reunite with the others, then it'll count as a victory."
"Oh, my sweet child." Dem rolled his eyes. "You and Nethore are the Vidalin pair and are both as dense and squishy as the other. Innochs are determined."
"I am not squishy," I said, affronted. "I am toned, and Nethore is a body of iron-hard scales."
"Fine, Neely." Gabriel just shook his head. His long legs were spread out stubbornly, an arm pressed tight against his torso. The wound made him feel vulnerable, and he was quick to draw a hand to his stomach so he could trace the ridge of the scar.
"We need to have a solid plan for when Marion Revel brings Jamie to the base. We need to gather as much evidence in there as to the actions of the Seal, which we can give to the Council. As for the Seal witches and wizards there, we may need actual members to cooperate with us and bring before the Council."
"Make sure they don't come in contact with me," I said, crossing my arms. My mood flipped from mildly affronted to darkly determined in a matter of seconds. "If I sense Nethore on any of them, or the others, I cannot promise that I will be able to hold myself back."
"Okay, so 'no contact with Neely' is going on the infiltration part of this board." Dem sucked in a breath, slightly giddy at the fact we were planning something else. If this wasn't so serious and our dragons weren't being kept captive by the insane Seal, I would be amused by Dem's love of planning and boards. It worked well with my insane need for order and control.
Then, I felt them on the wind. The stirring of affinities that caused shadow to rush to me, whispering about the wings treading on the wind and approaching our cottage. I curled further into the armchair, feeling a sudden rush of terror for the people I would have to face, and the answers I didn't have.
"They're here," I said to everyone quietly.
That began the rush of feet, though Dem paused to throw a cloth over the board. We rushed into the evening air, where Beau lay slumbering on the lawn. In the distance, among the clouds, were the shapes of dragons in the sky. Even the sight of it, the sweeping of long elegant wings and the feel of dragons that was whispered down to me through shadow and inky blackness, was something I had wholly missed. A fine mist of rain fell, coating the grass in a fine dew, and I shivered at the chill.
We waited for them in a solid line, never stirring as the dragons began to land and wind swept towards us in great plumes. My stomach tightened as I spotted Elser and the dark-clothed Rider sitting at the juncture of his shoulders. I felt those eyes sweeping towards me, and saw the frown furrowing his dark brows.
"You're all alive!" A Rider threw himself from the saddle and promptly tripped over his own two feet and face planted into the grass. There was no laughing, but just smiles of pure affection. Harvey let out a little huff and gently gathered the back of Alex's shirt into his teeth and hoisted him back onto his feet.
Red-faced and embarrassed, Alex started towards us again. Next were the twins, both differentiating between scowls and gentle smiles as if they didn't know how to act around us. Zephyr was slower to descend, sticking close to Elser as he surveyed us all.
Then, there was Jae-un and Alma, the Muscarn Riders. There was only one Bulmar Rider there, and I grinned at Buzz as she approached. Anger lined her sharp face, and she jabbed a finger into Gabriel's chest roughly. "Foolish man."
I cast another look towards Zephyr, who made no move to approach us before turning my attention to the older man hurrying towards me with a smile that made my own rise so easily. Scarred hands cupped my cheeks, tilting my face up to the worried eyes of Abner Lynch.
"How is my girl?" Abner asked quickly, those blue-green eyes flitting over my face critically.
"I'm grand...dad."
The smile that rose because of that word was something I wanted to paint, to capture that tentative happiness that I dared to say that word to him now, causing crinkles in the corners of his eyes. Nikki approached next, smiling at me with round cheeks and bright eyes.
"It's good to see you again, Neely." She kissed me on the cheeks fondly. Shadow slipped from my skin to hers, sinking into the affinity of earth.
I smiled at the woman who was not my mother but had given me only warmth and guiding words. When she stepped back, a hand reached out absently to lace with Abner's and there was such easy, comfortable love between them that it made me yearn for something like that, even if I had to wait like he had to find it.
Abner threw a glance over his shoulder. "We should go inside."
Hands drifted over my arms and my shoulders warmly as smiles crinkled in the faces of the young Riders who had entered the mountain with me, only to think that me and the others had died. Rain clung to my hair and trickled down over the lips that were stretched wide into a smile. We all had time to talk, to explain what our reasons were, and I think they were going to understand. The dragons shifted, their wings extending outwards. I watched the rain trickling over the membrane of their wings.
My heart was thundering.
There was one Rider who wasn't going inside.
Instead, he brushed a hand over the snout of his dragon almost as a way of comfort and the silver dragon cast me a withering look from his one good eye before taking off into the air. Nephrite eyes watched me unashamedly, and I looked over the lean cut of his body slowly. Rain continued to fall, a low rumble blooming in the gathering clouds as if warning of the fight to come.
Something clenched in my gut; a painful realisation that I had missed him. Tension lined my shoulders as he approached noiselessly. His hair was slicked back, his jaw hard as he assessed me.
I wondered if he found me lacking.
He stopped within arm's reach of me, examining me like I examined him. The dark hair and gleaming eyes, the sharp proud nose and the bow of his lips. There was a new scar on his skin, a tiny silver one on the underside of his jaw that marred the smooth, tanned beauty of his skin.
The air pulsed, and unspoken words hung between us heavily. Unable to help myself, I leaned forward on my tip-toes to press the pads of my fingers against that new scar. An honour I had let no one bestow on me – no one touched my scars, only doctors and nurses. Those eyes flashed at the brush of my fingers, his lips curling in the beginning of a snarl.
Then Zephyr's bowed his head and his jaw turned to press lightly against the brush of my fingers. His voice came smooth and soft, his eyes holding mine unwaveringly.
"You and I have a lot to discuss, little woman."