“Well, most of those dragons are solo, as in they have lost their bonded partner. Or they haven’t bonded yet, as Zahara hadn’t at that time.”
Anders hadn’t realized the extent of the destruction Merglan had caused on their kind and felt deep sorrow for those who were affected by him. As far as he knew, the only ones left that were still bonded were the two elves that came with the elf army, one of which lost her dragon and the other that had died alongside his dragon.
Anders thought of the importance of his bond with Zahara and knew that many people depended on him to succeed in his mission. They flew the rest of the night in silence, making sure Maija and Natalia were able to return safely. Eventually, they landed just outside Cedarbridge and waited for Maija, Natalia and Nadir to catch up.
Chapter 25
The Mole
Anders stretched his legs, shaking them out one at a time while also yawning. Shuddering, he attempted to ward off the sleepiness he felt. It took Zahara, Ivan and him the better part of the night to get within view of the elf city. They’d decided to stop short, as the ancient magic concealing the city within the forest made it particularly difficult to locate from the air, so they thought it best to walk the last half-mile with Maija, Natalia and Nadir. The bulk of the elf army had made it back hours before; otherwise, they would’ve entered with them. With Maija and Natalia pacing themselves at a slower rate, they lagged behind the army by a few hours.
Ivan turned to Anders as he slipped off Zahara’s back. Seeing Anders’ big yawn, he said, “Wake up, they’re almost here.”
Anders stood, but swayed with his eyes nearly closed. “I’m up, I’m up,” he replied. Widening his eyes, Anders attempted to wake himself by slapping his cheeks with both hands.
Within seconds, the three elves were upon them, slowing their speed rapidly and coming to a halt in the path.
“It’s a surprise seeing you two here,” Nadir said. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes, everything is fine. We just thought we should join you in passing through the gates so King Asmond wouldn’t worry that we abandoned our watch. It might look bad if we arrived ahead those we were tasked to keep an eye on,” Ivan said.
“True,” Nadir stated simply.
They walked the last half mile of forested trail to the outer gates of the Cedarbridge. With the sun absent for at least another hour, seeing through the dark forest proved difficult, but Anders was able to recognize the faint outline of the gates. Spellbound, the gates blended into the trees and brush, making it nearly impossible to see even with the advantage of the sun. Nadir spoke the magic words and the gate opened, allowing them to enter beyond the evergreen walls. Once inside Cedarbridge, Anders was surprised to see so many people up and moving about their morning duties already. As they walked down the main path toward the tree houses the elves called home, Zahara’s head drooped with fatigue from the extended flight with passengers.
Before entering through a door at the bottom of a tree where Nadir had led them, Zahara said, I’m going to sleep at my parents’ dwelling. They’ll want to know I’m alright. Just send me a thought when you’re ready to begin training.
Okay, Anders replied. He knew this was a safe enough place for her to be away from him for awhile.
Anders followed Nadir and Ivan into the tree house, closing the door behind Maija and Natalia as they entered. He could see the many dormitory doors lining the inside of the tree, going all the way to the top.
“This is the travelers’ tree. We’ll find more suitable accommodations for you later in the day,” Nadir said. He turned sharply on his heels and exited the tree house.
“Alright then,” Ivan said rubbing his hands together. “Pick a room and get some shut-eye. I’ll be waking you in a few hours,” he pointed to Anders, “so don’t get too comfortable. Training starts soon.” He walked into the closest room and closed the door behind him.
Anders raised his eyebrows and shrugged with a slight frown as he mouthed, “g’night” to Maija. He then walked into one of the rooms at ground level. Maija and Natalia did the same, each picking one.
Closing the door behind him, Anders examined his room. Two straight walls, mirroring the inside of the large tree’s grain, ran the length of the small room and joined the cylindrical tree several inches inside the exterior bark. Only a single bed stood in the middle of the room. The frame appeared to have grown into place out of gnarled branches. It weaved together, bound with magic to shape the bed. One round window, crafted cleverly into a large knot, allowed some light from the city’s early morning glow to creep into the dimly lit room. Anders immediately lay face down on the bed, not bothering to pull back the wool blankets. He closed his eyes, letting sleep take him.
A moment later, it seemed, he heard pounding on his door. Anders bolted upright, startled. The pounding stopped briefly, so Anders swung his legs over the edge, feet on the floor. When the pounding resumed, he stood up and shuffled to the door. Rubbing his eye with one hand, he used the other to pull the door open. Ivan stood in the hallway, looking away from Anders, glancing around the entrance to the tree house, his hand still raised in the pounding position.
“Come on, let’s go,” he said lowering his arm. “Tell Zahara to meet us at the cliff’s edge in half an hour.”
Anders nodded sleepily. He reached out to Zahara with his mind, sensing her distant presence. He sent her a message, Zahara are you there?
Yes, what is it? she asked.
Ivan wants us to meet at the cliff’s edge in a half hour. You know, the spot where I left you with your parents on our last visit to Cedarbridge.
She acknowledged him and Anders told Ivan with a yawn, “Okay, she’ll be there.”
Closing the door behind him without changing from the clothes he’d slept in, he followed Ivan out of the tree house. The elf city was brightly lit by the morning sun. The blooming vegetation added to the city’s vibrancy; the city felt much more alive than when they’d arrived a few hours ago under cover of darkness. Anders almost jumped out of his skin when he noticed Natalia and Maija rising to their feet in his peripheral vision. Seated on a root wad bench next to the door, they had been waiting for the two to exit.
Anders gasped, startled as he jumped back, fists up and ready to defend himself. It wasn’t until he registered who it was that he relaxed and said, “You scared me half to death.”
“A little jumpy, are we?” Natalia said mockingly.
Maija snickered, trying to hold back her outright laughter at Anders’ rosy-cheeked embarrassment.
Ivan shook his head, “Come on, jumper, follow me. We need to meet with King Asmond and the high council before we can begin our training.”
The three of them followed Ivan through the city. They wound their way between large trees spanning widths several times larger than his home in Grandwood. Finally, they approached a singularly wide tree with ornately carved doors. Recognizing the doors, Anders realized he’d been to this place the last time he and Ivan were in the elf capital. He marveled at the delicately carved wood, wondering how long each door would have taken to create.
Ivan swung the doors open, entering the building. Just as before, Ivan led them up the stairs and out into the vast tree’s canopy. There on the treetop’s large deck-like courtyard sat the elf king and his wife, Lageena, the queen. Nadir stood straight and at attention near the table, one arm tucked properly behind his back and the other resting on the back of a chair. Upon seeing them enter, Nadir waved them over and invited them to sit down. This pleasantry wasn’t offered to Anders the last time he was in the king’s presence, so he gladly accepted. Nadir then joined them at the table.
“Natalia,” the king said in a somber tone. “I was so saddened to hear about your misfortune as of late. Your skill and presence as one of our most important lines of defense in this war will be greatly missed. I offer you my deepest condolences for the tragedy that’s befallen our people.” Asmond rested his hand over his heart and tilted his head, bowing slightly.
Natalia clenched her jaw, pushing down her emotions as she responded, “Thank you, your majesty. I will continue my service to our people and offer what knowledge I can to Anders in his training.”
Asmond nodded, turning his attention to the others.
“I thought the high council was to be meeting with us?” Ivan asked, a bit surprised.
“This is a delicate matter. One I want to keep between us for now,” the king said, raising an eyebrow toward Maija.
Natalia cleared her throat, understanding the king’s implication, “You may remember my sister, Maija.” Natalia said motioning toward Maija.
The king and queen simultaneously gasped. “I thought she was in hiding! Your parents, Ormond and Isabella, used powerful magic to disguise her from ever being found?” Lageena said, leaning over the table and gawking at Maija.
