“Just don’t leave without me, okay?” he said, retreating back into the crowd.
Turning, Natalia forced the door open and rushed out into the street. She ran back to the inn, the rain consuming her again. Natalia could hear the squishing steps of the dwarf behind her. Entering the quiet inn, she walked past the rooms and took a seat at the lonely bar. Maylox joined her and they ordered drinks, sipping in silence and enjoying the peace and quiet compared to the commotion at the Brokencurl.
“What did he call you?” Maylox asked.
Natalia sipped from her mug, then replied, “That comment didn’t sit well with me. He called me the veiled huntress.”
Maylox shrugged, “Don’t know what that means?”
Natalia stared into the froth in her mug. She didn’t know how, but the Lumbapi king knew something about the Prophecy. She recalled the way the people in the streets stared at her, as if she were a threat they hadn’t expected to see that day. In her gut, she knew the king’s comment connected to the way the townspeople looked at her, but she didn’t yet know how.
After a hot meal, Maylox and Natalia returned to their room, now warmed by the fire and their clothes hanging dry for the next day’s events. Natalia went to sleep wondering if their plan to free Ivan and Anders would work and whether the two were even still being held in the capital at all. Regardless, she knew she had to try this plan to rescue them. Luckily, warriors were going to attack the city and distract most of the orcs. King Puco was right when he said Merglan would know she was there. Natalia would have to work extra hard to hold onto her concealment spell to prevent Merglan from finding her too soon.
Chapter 54
Entering the Everlight Kingdom
“Raffa, you know this place better than I. Can we avoid a fight with the dragons?” Anders shouted over the rushing wind.
I know a place, Raffa said, his low voice rumbling in Anders’ mind as he turned sharply, banking to the northeast.
Anders looked to make sure Zahara made the turn as well. She flew lower than Raffa and Anders knew from her slackened pace that she wouldn’t last much longer in the air. Raffa must’ve communicated to Maija because she also turned to the northeast. “How much farther?” Anders asked, thinking of Zahara.
We’re close. Tell me, human, can you see them coming after us? Raffa asked.
Anders turned and scanned the sky. He could no longer see the retreating dragon on the dark horizon. Zahara and Raffa were the only dragons flying for as far as he could see. “No,” he called to Raffa. “They’re not yet within sight.”
Raffa dove for the ground and Anders nearly lost his grip with the sudden change in direction. Clinging to the bone protrusions on Raffa’s lower neck, Anders caught his first glimpse of their destination. Directly below lay a scattering of boulders, randomly arranged in the open grassland. The rocks varied in size and bore a similar shade of red to that of Raffa’s coloring. He looked from the rocks to the red dragon’s neck as Raffa opened up his wings, pulling out of their dive. Raffa hit the ground at a run and came to a halt in the middle of the rocks. As Anders climbed down from Raffagaun’s back, he saw Maija come into view. In a matter of moments, Zahara joined them, touching down much more gingerly than Raffa had.
With her head swiveling, Zahara asked, Is there a cave or an alcove we can hide in?
Anders looked to Raffa, expecting him to show them to his hiding place, but the large dragon didn’t move. Instead, he opened his wings to either side and said, If you curl yourself Zahara, I can cover you all under my body.
“Will that work?” Maija asked. “Won’t they recognize that you’re not a boulder but have the mass of a dragon?”
Hurry and do as I ask; they’ll soon be within sight, Raffa said desperately.
Zahara immediately lay down at Raffa’s feet. Wrapping her tail and neck tightly around herself, Zahara turned into a concentrated swirl of green, purple and blue iridescence. With a nod from Raffa, Maija and Anders huddled under Zahara’s shoulder, leaning closely against her bulk. Raffagaun spread his mighty wings, sat as snuggly as he could without crushing them and enveloped the three of them. The dark of night turned pitch black under Raffagaun’s cover. The air was still and close. Anders listened for ensuing dragons, but only heard the steady yet nervous breathing of Zahara and Maija as they waited for this storm to pass.
Zahara, Anders said, connecting to her with his mental link. When he felt her focus, he asked, Will Raffa tell you what’s going on? Without a reply he could tell Zahara was relaying the question to the large red dragon.
Raffa says he can see them coming. We need to remain totally still if his camouflage is to hold.
I hope they don’t pick him out, Anders said.
He has cast a concealment spell. It’s not much from what I can sense, but he’s used it to project the overlaying texture of the rocks onto his scales and wings. As long as they don’t get too close, we won’t appear any different than the surrounding rocks.
I hope they don’t, we’ve already wasted too much time if we’re going to help Ivan, Anders said.
You mean William? she asked.
Yeah, Anders replied. He’d been avoiding thinking about his true identity. The man he’d known as a friend to his uncle and a leader among men and elves was his father. What Anders found most puzzling was why Ivan had kept it a secret from him, why hadn’t he told Anders that he was his father? Perhaps he was afraid Anders would hate him for masking his identity and it seemed like Ivan wanted to be a part of Anders’ life. But if that connection was what he sought, why hadn’t he been there for Anders during his childhood? What could’ve been more important than family?
He loved you, Zahara said, sensing Anders’ thoughts.
Why didn’t he tell me sooner? It might’ve made a difference.
Would it have? she asked.
We might’ve been more sure of ourselves in the Prophecy. At least the son of a king part lines up now, even though that could refer to Ivan, too.
But if Ivan never claimed his right to the throne, does that make you a son of a king?
Anders thought about that for a moment. He didn’t know how technical prophecies were. Remaining still, he said, I’m not sure what that makes me? After several moments of silence, he added, We’re both still the same people, aren’t we? This doesn’t change anything. But deep down he knew their relationship wouldn’t be the same. How could it after being lied to for nearly twenty years?
You have not changed, Zahara comforted him. Just be grateful for the time you did get to spend with him, even if you didn’t know he was your father. He offered us guidance in a time of need.
As Anders sat in silence, thinking about how much Ivan had sacrificed to offer him and Zahara the best chance of survival and success, Zahara interrupted, The dragons approach. Be completely silent, but ready to fight if they discover us.
Zahara’s update pulled Anders from his self-reflection. He moved his hand to Lazuran’s hilt, feeling the grip fitting comfortably in his palm. He waited in the darkness, not knowing if he would need to spring forth from the grass and exhaust every last ounce of his energy to defeat the aggressive dragons. Anders heard a whisper in the silence. As the unfamiliar voice sounded, he stiffened, thinking that it came from Lazuran. As the voice grew louder, he realized that he was hearing it in his mind, yet he still wondered if Lazuran was trying to call to him. He wondered again whether the sword could do such a thing, but he swore it had done so before.
A unique mental voice that he didn’t recognize came more clearly into his mind, He won’t like hearing that we’ve lost them.
When a second voice responded, Anders realized it was not Lazuran, but more likely the dragons Raffa had mentioned. Which is why we should be looking to the forests. This isn’t their natural homeland and I bet they’re heading back to the elf lands. Many master-loving dragons flee there. Ever since the movement began.
But they couldn’t have made it that far in such a short time, the first dragon responded.
Precisely, but that’s where they’re going. If we spread ourselves out along the fringe, we’ll catch them before they cross.
