Sky Warriors: Poleuthan's Thief (Sky Warriors Saga Book 1) (24 page)

Showl recoiled from the memory, releasing her mind, agony and understanding engulfing him as Ange slumped to the floor, weeping.

“There!” she spat as tears streamed down her eyes. “You happy now? Now you know!” she guttered as another sob ranked through her.

She vainly brushed the tears away as more flowed forth. Quietly Showl slumped to the floor next to her, his arms encircled her as he pulled her against his chest.

“Angeline…I’m sorry,” he apologized weakly.

Ange sniffed, feeling too drained to push him away.

She shuddered as waves of warmth and comfort began to lap through her mind, pouring from him.

“You don’t need to feel that way with me, little thief,” he insisted. “I’m your friend, your dragon, you don’t need to hide these fears from me.”

Ange let out an ironic laugh. “You make me feel more inadequate than anyone else!”

“Why?” he asked confused meeting her teary gaze as she shed the last dews of liquid and shoved them away.

She snorted and pushed herself off his chest to sit up straight, he released her reluctantly.

“You can just read my mind and find that out for yourself,” she answered with a bit of
indignation.

He frowned at her words, hurt and ashamed. She felt his guilt raw and powerful through their link.

“Angeline,” he whispered sounding agonized, his voice was choked and dry. “I…sorry would not sum up the amount of guilt I feel for making you suffer. Can you ever forgive me?” he ended with a whisper.

Ange met his deep golden gaze, lost in the ancient sadness that swam in the facets of his eyes and she couldn’t help feel responsible for the predicament they now found themselves in.

She gave him a humorless smiles.

“How can I not forgive you when you look at me like that?” she snorted rubbing his eyes. He didn’t answer, his stare continued to penetrate her with an
unbridled question. She let out along sigh before she began to speak. “Look at you, your noble and fair, kind and dedicated, you’re the dragon of dragons out to save the world and your race. And you got stuck with me!” she gestured to herself with outrage. “A petty criminal. A girl that’s lived on the streets all her life, stealing, hating the world, no education of any kind…you, Showl, got ripped off. You should demand a refund in my opinion.”

Showl let out a dry laugh, his eyes regaining some light. “A refund? Why in the world would I return you? You’re exactly what I need, what this world needs.”

“Are you deaf or something?” Ange mocked. “Did you not hear the word ‘criminal’?”

He smiled softly. “Little thief, if I could have my way, I would not choose anyone as my
Soulbound other than you.”

Ange pulled herself up, startled by his words and sincerity. She could hear the truth of his words ringing through his thoughts. She frowned troubled.

“Ha, you’re right. The world is doomed.”

His smiled broadened, thankful she had lightened the dark mood that had set upon him, it did not last long.

“Come, little thief. Let’s talk in the sky where we can be sure there will be no prying ears to hear us,” he held out his right hand to her, his yellow eyes serious and dark.

She nodded, allowing him to pull her up to her feet without so much as a flickered of disdain much to her surprise. She reluctantly allowed her thoughts to stray on the fact that she had never told anyone about her insecurities, not even Daren.

They left the room quietly as Showl led her through marble white corridors, they splendored with ancient stonework and artistic craftsmanship. Reliefs of dragons and other animals weaved and pranced in an optical illusion of movement and rhythm in the arched hallways. She admired the lamps that were evenly spaced down the hallway, encircled by jaws or leaves. The floor was a quarts red with black inlaid patterns and other stones. Occasionally a painting would be hanging on the wall, commemorating an occasion or perhaps a historical event.

She didn’t have time to study the lively paintings and decorations as they quickly followed the halls and stairs, up different levels as she lost track of where they had walked and the rooms they had passed. Showl’s pace was brisk, leaving no time for observing and the air around him hinted to his tension.

Ange noticed that the palace though obviously ancient, was enhanced and engrained with technology that looked well beyond what humans had accomplished thus far and she idly wondered if the legends were true of dragons passing on pieces of their technology and science to the human race.

She soon lost track of how much they had walked, more interested in noticing every aspects of the halls and glances she stole as they passed an open room. She shivered as a cold breeze brushed her face as a double door opened wide.

She paused for a moment, startled before she walked pass Showl to an open terrace hundreds of feet wide, in a perfect semicircle formed of peerless slate marble that jutted out from the mountain peak.

Ange smiled awed as the sun
Ebur sunk in the horizon over the glistening sea. Blankets of soft clouds hugged the salty waters as they blazed and glimmered with shades of gold, violet, and perpetual blues. Hues of soft pink and orange lined the edges of the wispy clouds as they seemed to continue in a slow circular pattern around the craggy island.

Evergreen
trees dotted and climbed the rocky slopes up the mountain as she edged closer to the flat, unfenced terrace, rising thousands of feet above the sea level.

Ange sucked in a thin breath, feeling her head go light not just from the lack of oxygen but also by the sheer view. It was the most magical and beautiful place she had ever witnessed.

Birds lazily hung in the air currents that gently guided them from the water’s level to the heavens above where the first star was peeking into the setting of the day.

A hot breath brushed the back of her head, flinging her hair forward, she stiffened and turned around.

She gasped as Showl stood might and powerful over her, his white sinewy feathered covered body was brushed in glazed highlights of gold, his ebony horns and talons gleamed with a brilliant edge of white and glassy black. He was the most majestic creature she had ever behold.

He blinked his brilliant eyes at her with deliberate slowness, she could feel him intently listening to her thoughts, but choosing to remain silent and simply listen. His massive head leveling to her face, at the tip of his closed jaws
glimmered her belted blade in its scabbard.

Hesitantly she reached for the blade, touching the warm material that covered the sharp sword. Gently she pulled it from his mouth and strapped the belt securely around her waist. Carefully she pulled the blade from
its sheathe and watched the steel and gem shine as the light hit its length.

Ange frowned thoughtfully as she touched the metal, she began thinking of the battle that had taken place.

“How long have I been asleep?”
Ange asked.

“Only since the
wee hours of the morning after the fight, so almost all day. You actually recovered quite quickly,” he
added with surprise as his large golden eye fixed on her.

“That is fast,”
Ange commended, surprised she only slept so little.

She focused her thoughts and commanded the blade to reform the saddle.

The sword quivered in her grasp as she let it go, she watched in wonder and amazement yet again as it hovered away from her fingers over Showl’s head. The metal began to glimmer and ripple like disturbed water, liquid steel began pour from the length of the sword, washing over the small feathers of Showl’s skull, never seeming to disturb them as the metal hardened and shapes and designs formed as two powerful alloy straps hugged around his horns.

With a moment the base was complete, rich in silver, only the actual saddle appeared to be white molded leather as well as the handles. The same leg snaps rested near the back of the saddle as did the flushed reels that were on the top of the saddle’s metal base.

The sword hovered back to her side, she grasped the warm handle and gazed at the sword that looked exactly the same as before and she frowned wondering how the magic of the blade and saddle worked.

“That is a subject for another day, little thief. For now, let us fly and speak of more pressing matters.”

Ange sighed tiredly as she sheathed the blade once more.

Showl lowered his head to the ground, tilting it in his direction.

Ange was thankful for his helpfulness, she suspected that even if she was taller, she would never be able to reach the top of his skull, not even with a well-executed jump.

She took a carful step back and observed the curving musculature of his powerful neck that was visible even through his feathers. She rocked on her heels for a moment before she sprinted towards him. She only manage to run a step up his neck, before she fell back and flipped to land on her feet.

She gazed up disgruntled as her feet met the thick floor, she hadn’t suspected feathers to be slippery.

“Step harder, little thief. My scales are rough and should provide a foothold for you,” he
suggested calmly.

“And if I pullout some of your feathers?”
Ange asked.

“You
won’t,” he
assured.

Ange puckered her lip unconvinced and decided it was worth a shot.

She tried again, running up to his neck  and pushing off the ground with more force, she dug into the scales and was able to run up a few steps before she felt her momentum begin to leave her, she pushed off and jumped. She fell with painful gasp as her stomach landed on the hard scales of his neck as she held on barely to one of his spikes.

“Are you alright?”
Showl asked concerned.

“Fine,” Ange huffed
out loud as she pulled herself up to the back of his neck and gingerly stood up.

She took a moment to catch her breath and touch the tender spot of her stomach before she walked up to the saddle and sat down, observing the decorations and aspects of the metal work.

She grabbed on tight as Showl lifted his head into the air and began walking for the edge of the platform.

Ange smiled exhilarated as she towered high above the ground, yet a thrill of fear also mingle with her excitement. Every pace Showl took shuddered through the marble ground and she could feel it as she rocked in her saddle with the flow of his movements.

Nearing the edge, his claws hugged the stone with a soft clink as a soft breeze flowed passed them, the fresh air left Ange feeling nostalgic, ready for flight.

His wings flared opened, Ange glanced back, taken away by their sheer size as they unfolded from his sides. She grasped the head of her saddle tighter, his body began to tilt forward. Ange fear and excitement tripled, her impatience began to battle her senses.

Showl’s happiness only helped alight her mood further.

He dipped forward and they were suddenly in the air, freefalling down the side of the mountain. The cold air lashed past her hair, caressed her skin, and stole the moister from her eyes as they plunged for the earth and sea below. Ange howled in exhilaration, she couldn’t fight the urge to spread her arms wide despite the small part of her brain that told her not to let go of the handles. Gently and gradually they pulled from the dive, the wind softened as they alighted into the sky atop powerful wind currents. The beating of Showl’s wings were silent, lost to the air as they began to circle high.

“That was amazing!” Ange shouted as she gazed about as the wind rippled past her.

A deep and throaty chuckle rumbled underneath her from Showl. His thoughts were
elated as he spoke softly into her mind.

“I am glad you enjoyed it. Most riders are actually
terrified on their first flight.”

“Really?” Ange responded aloud, surprised by the little fact. She had never enjoyed anything as much in her entire life, she found it difficult to believe that anyone would be frightened by the opportunity to take wing in the sky atop a dragon.

She turned her gaze as a gleam caught her eyes, she gasped as she first witnessed the immensity of the palace they had just left behind.

It was the most grandeur and awe-inspiring structure she had ever laid eyes on.

The palace was flushed into the very mountain at the center of the island, carved from the very stone which consisted of various forms and shades of marble, sparkling in the setting sunlight. Spiral spires climbed to the sky with many aerie like balconies and giant doorways that looked like they were all entirely natural just like the chiseled castle. Painted glass glittered over small and giant windows that dotted the entire wonder. The ten largest spires reached up to the rim of the giant mountain, taking the shape of a crown. Atop the mountain was a crater rather than a peak, filled with clear cool water and surrounded by vegetation. Hanging moss flourished and hung from the untouched edges of the volcanic rock, draping the palace and surrounding stone, adding dapples of green to the cold and rigid stone. Birds flocked from trees, perching on spires and balconies, nesting on perfect roosts.

The immensity and architecture was a beauty to behold that held so many facets that could not all be appreciated at once. Yet the ancient palace was a sorrow to witness. Many of the halls looked dark, void, and lonely. A monument that was obviously meant to house thousands was empty of nearly all life, crumbling and decaying away with the passing of the years, unused, and dyeing.