Dark Wood: Legends of the Guardians (25 page)

“I
cannot give you that, Aryaunna. I will not give you that. Even if I could, the
price of which is more painful than you need bear. It cannot be undone.”

She
stood up, incased in his wings that erased the physical space between them.
Perhaps there truly was no other human who’d be so willing. Especially to glare
at one in anger. Or more or less pain, for Aryaunna; for pain was her anger. “I
can and
will
bear anything I must, without hesitation. This is what I
must do to protect these people. If the Guardians call for me as their Emissary
then it is their
binding promise
to deliver upon me every weapon I shalt
need.”

Suddenly
his incredible, bone-lace wings stretched out wider than his body was long. “I
cannot do it without my wings! I must fly to bestow it unto you!” Reign’s voice
cried out in angst.

“Then
I shall give them back to you,” she whispered, so desperate was she that it
angered her. Standing directly against him, his head arched down to look at her
from his long serpentine neck. He couldn’t well see that she’d pulled one of
her magnificent black knives from her belt with her left hand.

“Ary?”
he asked as he felt more than heard her moving.

Without
hesitating, Aryaunna held the knife tight in her right fist, and dove it
through her left palm. She gasped sharply as the tip shot out through the other
side of her hand. For strength, she leaned her forehead against his scaled
expansion of chest.

In
a tongue not spoken in centuries, Aryaunna spoke in a hush. She knew the
language of the Guardians for it was heard in her dreams every time she’d slept
since declaring herself. “As Emissary of the Guardians’ Keep, I call for arms.
The arms of my choosing are the wings of another.

Wings
closed in around her, as if hugging her to him. His eyes clinched shut as he
bowed his head over her to completely incase her. Aryaunna’s fingers began to
shake from the pain. It took concentration to wrap her fingers tighter around
the hilt and pull it out. Her movements were swift; so the pain burned
brighter, but eased faster.

With
a gust of breath she spread her hand out wide and braced her bleeding palm over
the Dragon’s heart. Her words carried on in a mere whispered breath, but even a
whisper, such as this one, was a powerful thing.

A
white crust seemed to spread out from Reign’s back as Aryaunna continued on,
lost in the cast. The crust looked to be made of dust from the mountain. A
paper thin, white hot shell cast around him, spreading out over his bone-lace
wings. The sensation was intensely painful.

Aryaunna’s
hand began to move, tracing a large symbol over his broad chest. Her blood,
fueled with the magic of her mother and those who came before her, and the
magic of the Guardians, was ink.

Reign
howled in pain, his head reared back as it bellowed through the air, echoing
off the mountain. As his pain increased, the cast intensified. Aryaunna drew on
all of her strength to complete it. Reign’s arms wrapped around her shoulders
to keep her up as she began to sag against his chest.

Wings
spreading out to their full length, the white crusting sheet covered them
entirely, and it was crumbling. His howl of pain grew louder, ear screeching,
into a roar of triumph. All at once his wings seemed to shake free of their
confines, dust bellowed out in a gust behind him as he scooped Aryaunna
securely to his chest.

Violently
his wings beat against the air as his back feet kicked off of the mountain.
They were airborne. His body twisted in a spiral as he flew up. Wings rose and
fell, tearing through the air with a powerful grace. In seconds they had
surpassed the mountain and were in the clouds.

A
soft gasp fell from her lips. Stricken breathless for how stunning it was to
have traveled so high so fast, Aryaunna could only look on in awe. Stretching
her hand out, she reached into a wispy cloud. It felt like smoke, but cooler on
her skin.

“Climb
to my back, you will see better there.” Gentle as he always was with her, he
lifted her carefully up to his shoulder. His body hovered as his wings slowly
beat against the air. There was no need to reassure her he’d not drop her, she
already knew.

Body
stiff and tired, her movements were rendered slow as she eased herself in
place, just above the thick shoulder muscle protruding from his back, bracing
his incredible wings. Weary, beaten, and bloody, Aryaunna hung onto him as he
moved through the sky.

Whole
body tingling with a euphoric adrenaline, she didn’t dare close her eyes and
miss a second. The sun was setting overhead. The sky was alight with colors,
ranging from rich golds, ambers, sweet potato orange, cherry red, lilac, and
finally sapphire where day turned to night. Her breath was caught as she
looked. It was glorious.

Blood
rushing in her veins, heart hammering in her chest, a tear ran down her cheek.
Her agape mouth closed slowly. Heart panging violently in her chest, Aryaunna
hung her head back, looking up to the infinite sky above. Moving slowly, she
let go of her tight hold on his neck, easing her body up straighter as her head
hung. Her arms lift out beside her, as if she had her own wings.

Another
tear, and then another.

Every
emotion she’d been suppressing since the beginning of things were boiling up
out of her while overwhelmed with majesty. Too soon his body began to drift for
the earth. The tears dried, though they left their mark. Her tired eyes were
red rimmed and slightly swollen. Cheeks wind-burnt. Her already haggard body
was ragged from the exhilaration of flying. It was a contradictory set of
problems, and the combination vaguely confused her.

“You
need to clean up,” he instructed as he leaned his body down against the earth
to make it easier for her to slide down. “I’m not taking you to the funeral
pyres covered in the blood of your enemies.”

Sliding
down, she had to hug against the side of his body to keep herself standing as
she reoriented to the gravity of standing upon the earth. “I consider my end of
the deal met, Reign.” Letting go, she walked around to face him. He’d given her
an incredible gift, but she needed his promise kept.

“What
you ask of me is a curse. It is my purpose to protect you, and this is how it
must be done.” Clinching his eyes shut, he shuttered out a deep breath. “Ready
yourself, we will do it then. You have my word.”

The
word of a Dragon is much different than it is of man, or even Faye. Once given,
they are bound to keep it by Guardian Law.

He’d
landed in the valley, next to the wide mouth of the cave. Together they walked
inside. He escorted her to the lagoon before leaving her in private. A muffled
whoosh, with the sound of him kicking up from the earth sounded, echoing into
the cave as he took to the skies. It had been so long for him, she wondered if
he’d ever come down again for more than a moment.

A
light smile tugged at Aryaunna’s lips at the thought. It was a good feeling to
know she’d found a way to give him back his wings. Not to mention the euphoric
exhilaration still pumping through her veins. It made it impossible to stop
smiling, even if it was a nearly sad smile.

She
stripped down easily, but carried her clothes into the water. As she stood in
the purifying pool, she cleaned her clothes as she cleaned herself. She’d be wet
tonight, and probably mostly frozen. But in many ways she was already numb, and
there were plenty of medicines to aid in her health once she returned to the
Hollow.

It
didn’t matter if she had to freeze. Reign was right, she couldn’t go to the
fires soaked in any man’s blood.

Fully
clothed, she focused on weaving a tight braid as she rang the water out of her
hair, walking through the cavern to find Reign. The sun was nearly gone. Sita
would have to ride hard to get to Brisheer before they were lit.

Her
gaze wasn’t just turned to the heavens for the time of eve, but for him. Pure
white, he somehow still blended with the sky. As if he were a falling star that
swooped through the sky toward her.

His
talons dug hard against the earth, clawing into the mountain with all his
force. He’d come to a stop directly in front of her. Deeply his body bowed
forward, head nearly caressing the earth as he did so. Thanking her for the
incredible gift that he could never truly repay.

Walking
closer, she came to stand alongside his bowed head; it was the size of her
body. Gently her hand lay upon his cheek and ran through a fallen tear. “We’ve
both shed our tears today,” she whispered, though still for him to hear.

“If
only they would be our last,” he spoke as he rose back up. “Before I do this, I
must know you understand there are consequences to what you ask of me.
Physically your body will change a great deal. There will come days where you
feel nearly mad, for your mind never stops. Ever. It will drive you in ways.
You will never want to quit moving for long.”

“How
is it done?” she pushed.

A
reptilian brow scowled down at her as he measured her with his gaze. “You must fall…
I shall do the rest.” His shoulder dropped low as his wing swept back. Without
hesitating, Aryaunna pulled herself atop his back. It wasn’t quite like when
she mounted Sita’s back, but she’d done that enough to find some ease in this.

Though
it had been truly ages since Reign’s body had known the skies, he moved as if
he’d never lost his wings. His body flew in a slow steady spiral up for a great
distance. “Hang on!” he called over the wind.

Leaning
forward, she clutched tightly to his neck as his body reared back and he shot
straight up into the clouds. So quickly they rose that her breath was lost. The
higher they went the darker the skies became.

Suddenly
his body twisted sharply to the side, and continued around so rapidly that she
had no time to react. And just like that she fell. A startled gasp parted her
lips, but she let out no scream. Her weapons hung down, pulling her body down
faster.

Her
back laid upon the open air as she looked up at Reign, spiraling overhead.
Painfully her chest tightened, heart clinching from the adrenaline. Was it
fear? She couldn’t tell. It was painful. Her whole body was trembling. Yet not
even in slight did she doubt he would catch her.

The
velocity of her body kept her from having any control over her limbs. Her arms
flailed in front of her, as if she were reaching back for the heavens as the
rest of her was falling faster. Reign was still right above her. Their eyes
remained locked as they both plummeted.

The
wind roared in her ears, but something accompanied the rushing sound. A voice,
but not quite Reign’s voice. Different somehow, as if many spoke rather than
one.

His
front arms reached out for her, his long talons stretched for hers. Claws
touched her fingertips. Smooth scales brushed flesh as they came closer. The
next moment, her body jerked as he grabbed her and pulled her into him. What
was only just a bump felt as if they’d crashed into one another as he soared
off with her clutched to him.

A
cannon fired inside of her chest rapidly; her heart pounding against her rib
cage for mercy. He knew better than to ask her to climb onto his back. Her body
was like a bag of sand with limbs. It felt as if her bones had melted.

Still
unwilling to close her eyes, she watched the sun sink behind the mountains as
they flew over the Dark Wood. It felt like moments before she saw Brisheer. Was
he flying that quickly? Had it really been minutes-more?

Though
pitch of night and no fires had been lit, they both could feel the eyes upon
them. The glistening white of Reign’s scales shown in the light of the moon. A
strange glittering, unlike any star and far too big. The heavy weight of his
wings seemed to beat the air into submission as he slowed, steadily gliding
down to the earth.

The
Drow stood in awe. Those too close backed away to give them a wide girth, and
those not close enough gathered. They cast a wide circle around them, all
standing speechless with bated breath.

Carefully
he set her down onto her feet, keeping her steady until her legs strengthened
beneath her. They looked to one another, him with silent question. Was she all
right? Nodding, she gave him a slight smile of gratitude. A debt she felt
couldn’t be repaid, even though he’d regained his wings.