Page 49 of The Fractured Prophecy

“Thank you, Mother. I shall return victorious with many tales.”

They released each other, and Sinsha spun on her heel and left without another word.

“I hate to be a negative Neville,” Galan said, “But isn’t a dragon going to attract attention? Do we cloak Ven in illusion and hope they have no detection system set up at the perimeter?”

Naturally, Galan’s traveling outfit was trimmed in shining gold buttons and topped with a cape which was dark on the outside but had a scarlet lining.

I shrugged at his question, now knowing the answer. “You’re dressed like royalty, not inconspicuously,” I said.

He lifted a brow. “Sometimes the more obvious you are, the more you blend in, Nye.”

“There will be no need of dragons,” Kendara said, then tipped up her chin and whistled.

Something vibrated deep in my bones, somewhere between a song and a buzzing rhythm. From the clouds, three forms approached. I squinted as the firebirds grew closer. The sound came from them. They had bellies that matched the glowing reds and yellows of Carn’s scales, and crested heads and wings that reflected the space around them like mirrors. It made their shapes hard to make out completely until they were coming in for a landing. About half the size of Ven, they were still big enough to each carry a person each on their backs.

They landed gracefully, a small cloud of snow kicking up where their taloned feet settled on the ground. Kendara approached one without preamble and mounted it easily. The bird barely acknowledged the intrusion. “Let’s go,” she called.

Torvo leaped on Ash’s back. Rivven led the way to the other two birds. He drew a deep breath before climbing on the bigger of the two. Galan flew to the top of the next with a gust of air magic. I walked to the one Rivven had mounted and used air currents to lift myself onto its back as well, making sure I was securely braced between its neck and Rivven’s body. The mirrored surface of its wings was so pretty I couldn’t help but stroke them.

A flurry of snow began to fall from the sky. Lovely. We were going to have to fly into that.

“I assume they’re named for their undersides?” I called to Kendara.

My only answer was a laugh as her bird took to the air, testing my hair styling skills when the downdraft hit me. Luckily, my braids held pretty well. The ground dropped out from beneath us as we followed, Rivven using his thighs to guide our bird into the sky.

“Is this safe?” I yelled into the wind as the snow picked up, pelting our faces with tiny stabs of ice. It was like a sudden blizzard had decided to try to prevent our ascent.

“Happens all the time,” Kendara yelled back.

Rivven tightened his body around mine protectively. As I fought the urge to let go of the bird’s neck to wipe at my eyes, the birds opened their mouths in unison, and streaks of white flame issued from their beaks, melting the snow on contact. Tiny curls of steam danced around us as the animals cut a path through the storm.

It took mere minutes for us to break through the clouds. The snow’s assault halted, and the sun nearly blinded me as we soared level with the base of the sky kingdom of Astridon. It felt surreal being here again. But maybe that had more to do with the fact that the sun, so sudden and brilliant, didn’t penetrate the kingdom before us. It was like a dome of shadow had been draped over the entire area, making it difficult to even make out the spires of the castle or the surface of Mirror Lake where we’d battled through the second of the Imrati trials.

We all fell silent, the only sound the whoosh of the bird’s enormous wings as we circled to the other side of the kingdom, finally slipping through the darkness as easily as passing a hand through the air. But from inside, the sun was nowhere to be found, only the dim outline of the double moons shone above. I shivered though the air was no longer as cold.

The birds glided to the ground, where tall trees of varying types created a canopy of protection. I was struck by the silence as we landed gently on the moss-covered ground. The minute Torvo dismounted, Ash took off at a cantor through the brush. I supposed she was glad to be home, even if it felt so different from before.

Summoning a touch of air magic, I floated to a patch of grass, matted and dark from lack of sunlight. Rivven, Galan, and Kendara joined me. The enormous firebirds soared into the sky and through the clouds, back, I assumed, to wherever they lived on the mountain. Hugging myself, I gazed up at the twisted treetops. I couldn’t help but think how sinister and oppressive they appeared, towering over us like claws.

Rustling shook the branches before us. Rivven drew his sword as a dark-skinned woman appeared. She wore black clothing and a matching cap on her head. Only her eyes and a lock of silvery hair shone in the moonlight, making her look like a shadow with reflective eyes and hair.

I put a hand on Rivven’s wrist and guided his sword downward when she stopped half-way toward us. Her eyes widened. But when she took in the group and found Torvo at the end, she burst into a run, leaping into his arms. He spun her around before setting her down.

“Devira,” Torvo said, breaking the silence. There was more emotion in his voice than I’d heard in quite some time, all packed into a single name.

“Brother.” Her voice broke on the word, and I understood what was happening. “I knew you couldn’t be what they said. I didn’t believe it for a moment.”

“Believe what?” I asked, approaching with Rivven in tow, sword now hanging at his side.

Devira looked to me, head held high. “Princess,” she said, her tone clipped. Then she looked at Kendara. “I was told you were a group of refugees. You have betrayed us. I told Hymer not to trust you pointy-eared giants.”

One moment her hand was empty, the next it held a wicked, long blade like it had materialized from nowhere. Torvo grabbed her wrist before the tip met my neck. Rivven tugged me back and raised his own sword to hers. But her brother stepped between them, broad back to Rivven’s curved weapon.

“We are refugees, and neither the elves nor the princess is to be feared. She is as much a victim as the rest of us. Put the sword down, Dev, please. We need your help, not your ire.”

The woman stepped back, eyeing each of us in turn. No one made another move of aggression. I could sense that Rivven was more than ready to pounce, though, if need be. It would be a tragedy if Torvo’s sister were harmed. There had already been enough bloodshed because of Balram.

“I take offense that you would think me traitor,” Kendara said, blocking most of my view as she stood shoulder to shoulder with Torvo. Her skin turned redder than usual at the nape of her neck. “Make no assumptions, only hear us out for yourself.”