Wings of Arian (16 page)

“Me,” she blurted. “Kill me first.”

Emane yelled, “NO!”

Aleric started to run towards her, but Jarland sent a pillar of fire his direction and Aleric was forced to throw up a shield.

“You?” Jarland sneered. “The Solus?”

“Yes, but I have a request,” she stammered, frantically searching for the time she needed.

“I don’t usually honor requests, Kiora, although I am flattered you would think to ask.”

“I would like to say a.... a prayer.” It was the first thing that flew into her mind.

“A what?!” Jarland’s laugh bellowed off of the walls.

Aleric tried to move toward Kiora again but Jarland shot another pillar of fire in his direction. Turning toward Aleric, he hissed with fire licking his lips. “I am warning you old man.”

Kiora saw her chance and closed her eyes, concentrating on the trunk with Emane’s sword in it. She could feel it moving but was not finished yet when Jarland turned his attention back to her.

“What are you doing Kiora?” Jarland asked suspiciously.

She did not respond. She needed a few more seconds.

“I believe she is praying,” Aleric dryly answered.

Kiora’s eyes flew open, she had done it. Quickly she glanced to Emane. He was looking down clearly shocked to find a sword suddenly in his hand.

Arturo shoved another thought into her head.
Tell Emane that sword must go into Jarland’s heart. It is the only thing that will bring him down.

She glanced furiously at Arturo,
HOW?

Arturo took off, flying straight to the top of the room before turning to a dive at Jarland. Jarland snarled as he saw the pegasus mount his attack. He shot pillars of fire into the air, searing the ceiling as Arturo dove and dipped, avoiding the deadly attacks.

Seizing the opportunity provided, Kiora ran over to Emane and grabbed him by the neck, pulling him close. Whispering in his ear she told him, “You must put the sword into Jarland’s heart. It’s the only thing that will bring him down.”

Emane glanced down at his sword and then to the dragon who was still spraying fire through the air. Swallowing hard, he grabbed Kiora’s arm and squeezed it before taking off at a dead run to the underside of the dragon. She watched him as he ran underneath, narrowly missing one of Jarland’s feet that came slamming back down just inches behind him. Jarland was spinning his giant body the best he could in the limited space, trying to get a good shot on Arturo. It was making it difficult for Emane to line up the sword. Kiora covered her mouth trying not to yell out as Emane squatted down under the lumbering giant. Emane shook his head in frustration. Peering around Jarland’s legs he looked for Arturo.

Kiora
, Arturo thought.
Emane needs your help, You provide the bubble, and I will provide the distraction.
Kiora looked to Emane who was staring right at her, giving her a quick nod.

Arturo shot off in the opposite direction of the cave, forcing Jarland to turn his head away from Kiora. Emane ran over to her, grabbing her neck just as she had grabbed his, his lips brushing against her ear. “I need to get right in front of him. Do you have enough energy to get me there?”

Kiora nodded and leaned into his ear, “We need to hurry. If he notices we’re gone he will set the whole room on fire.”

Kiora pulled the bubble around them both.

Emane whispered again. “Can he hear us in here?”

“No,” Kiora said without bothering to keep her voice down, “We’re good.”

“Let’s go. I need to be right in front of his neck. I think if I go in right under there it should go into his heart.”

“You think?” she squeaked.

“Kiora,” Emane was exasperated, “I’ve never killed a dragon before. Let’s go!”

They ran across the dirt floor, positioning themselves right in front of Jarland.

“Kiora, I want you to run after you let me out of the bubble. I don’t know where he will fall. Ready?” Emane breathed rapidly, his knuckles white around the hilt of his sword. With one last glance up at the dragon towering over them he said, “Alright One… Two… THREE!”

Kiora dropped the bubble, letting Emane step out right in front of the target. She threw the bubble back up and ran toward Aleric.

Emane pulled the sword back and plunged it as deep as he could into the dragon’s heart. The enchanted sword slid through the dragon’s scales as if nothing were there at all. Jarland roared in anguish. Emane pulled the sword out, strangely calm, as Jarland sat back onto his back legs, throwing his neck up and back. When the dragon’s front legs came crashing back down, Emane thrust the sword in again. Jarland roared again and shuddered. Pulling the sword back out for the second time, Emane ran.

Jarland quivered and choked as his knees crumpled. He rolled to the right, falling into the cavern wall. The compacted earth of the wall where he struck opened up from floor to ceiling with a groan. The large crack shuddered, and then expanded. Dirt and rocks exploded outwards in a dusty shower. Emane, Aleric and Kiora threw their arms over their heads to protect themselves from the raining debris. The crack in the wall continued its path upward, reaching the ceiling quickly. From there it webbed out, racing over their heads, cracking and popping while sending more crumbling pieces to the floor. Collapse was imminent.

“Arturo, get us out of here now!” Emane shouted.

Arturo swopped down and landed in front of Kiora, Emane and Aleric. Emane picked up Kiora and threw her onto Arturo’s back. He helped Aleric on and then climbed on himself. Arturo took off with some effort. Three was a large load.

Jarland’s dead body was still partially blocking the opening of the cave. Arturo had to land on his back and squeeze himself through the hole before they could head for the surface.

Arturo was straining, trying to pull all three of them out of the hole ahead of the fracturing earth that was racing up behind them. The dirt was crumbling inwards, burying Jarland in the process.

The sound of the earth cracking made Kiora’s stomach flip. Looking to the side she watched fissures racing ahead of them. Dirt and rocks assaulted her and she had to shield her face with her arms.

“We’re not going to make it!” she shouted.

Kiora could feel Arturo’s muscles coiling underneath her as he pushed harder to clear the top of the hole. The rim began to crumble, threatening to collapse before they found the exit. With one final push Arturo came bursting out of the hole as the entire rim gave way.

Kiora struggled to adjust her eyes to the light, frantically trying to look for Morcant.

“Arturo, please! I need to check on Morcant.”

Kiora,
Arturo thought,
We need to get you out of here. Dralazar will track you too easily out in the open like this.

“I have to make sure he is ok! He saved my life.”

Arturo brought them down next to the large dragon lying on his side. Like the dead Jarland, Morcant’s scales were blackened and blood dripped from a large cut at the corner of his mouth.

“Morcant,” Kiora said mournfully. “It’s all my fault,” she moaned. “If I hadn’t been here…”

“Kiora,” Leo had flown over next to her. “He will be fine. My friends and I will help him, but you must go.”

“Leo, he almost died for me, because of me! I can’t leave him!”

“Kiora,” Leo said calmly, “If you do not go, his efforts will have been in vain.”

Emane spoke, “He’s right Kiora, we need to get you out of here.”

“But...” Kiora had tears welling up in her eyes.

“Kiora,” Aleric said, “Leo and the others will work on Morcant. It looks like he needs a little healing.”

Leo nodded.

“But if we don’t get you out of here right now, Dralazar will send someone for you, someone who won’t make the same mistakes.”

Kiora laid her head on Morcant side. “You don’t understand, he has been loyal all this time.”

Arturo snorted and stomped his feet.
Kiora
, he rumbled.

“Alright that’s enough,” Emane announced. Stomping over, he picked Kiora up and threw her over his shoulder. “We are leaving now!”

“Emane!” Kiora shouted, her fists pounding weakly at his back.

“Kiora, we will talk later.” Emane turned to Aleric, holding tightly to a struggling Kiora; she was too weak to put up much of a fight. “Where should we go?”

Aleric thought for a second. “Without the protection of the Hollow, Dralazar could be watching and listening. I can’t tell you where to take her.” He turned to Arturo with instructions. “Arturo, you and Kiora can talk on the way. I will stay here with Morcant and the Guardians. They can help get me back to Eleana.”

Emane walked her over, deposited Kiora on Arturo’s back and climbed on behind her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

Arturo pushed into Kiora’s thoughts.
How far can you make it Kiora?

I don’t know
, she thought,
I have used a lot of magic, I feel so empty.

Where did you send the book?

To the cave, where I found it first.

Wise
, he thought for a second.
It is not possible for you to bubble us the whole way there. From here back to the Hollow is a path we must take and Dralazar knows it. We won’t bubble unless we sense danger. Listen for when I tell you to put up the bubble. That should only leave you with ten minutes. I want you to rest on the way so you’re prepared.

Kiora nodded.
Alright.
She looked mournfully down at her giant friend as he grew smaller with the distance.

***

They flew back over the barren brown land of Morcant and onto the green forests. Once they had passed the Hollow, Arturo gave Kiora the command for the bubble. Kiora was weak but she obeyed.

Emane wrapped his arms tight around Kiora as she shook under the exertion. “It’s alright Kiora, you can do it,” he murmured in her ear.

She just nodded, unable to speak.

They continued to fly, heading towards Arian’s cave on the west side of the valley. As they passed Morcant’s old home between the two hills, Kiora started to tear up thinking about him and her bubble began to grow thinner.

Focus, Kiora
, Arturo thought.

Kiora snapped back, focusing on her bubble, which grew thick again.

Hold your emotions until the cave.

Sorry.

After another five minutes Kiora was drenched in sweat and her skin was ashen gray. The mountains where the Cave of Arian was located rose up before them.

“Are we almost there?” Emane shouted forward. “I don’t know how much more she can do.”

Kiora answered in a whisper, “Arturo said one more minute.”

Shortly after, they landed on a large boulder jutting out of the mountain. Kiora dropped her bubble.

“Are we safe here?” Emane asked sliding off Arturo before reaching up to help her down.

“Yes.” Kiora still could not speak above a whisper. “Once you’ve landed the enchantment protects you from sight.”

She stumbled over to the face and placed her hands on the wall. It shimmered, changing back and forth from a mountain to a doorway. She leaned her head against the rock with a whimper.

Kiora, I know you’re tired but you are going to have to give it a little more magic if you want to get it,
Arturo gently prodded her.

Kiora nodded and took a deep breath. She put her hands back upon the mountainside and it vanished, exposing the doorway into the cave. Then she passed out.

Emane barely managed to get his arms under her before she hit the rock.

“I really wish she would stop doing this,” he grunted, cradling her in his arms. Once inside he looked around for a soft place to lay her. All he saw was a desk with a candle, an inkbottle and a quill.

“Arturo, where am I supposed to lay her?”

Arturo just looked at him.

“Alright, I will hold her.” He sat down and positioned Kiora in between his legs so she could lean her head back on his chest till she woke up. Emane leaned himself against the cold rock wall.

“Is she having another vision?”

Arturo shook his head.

“She used too much magic, didn’t she?”

Arturo nodded.

“We can all rest then, until she wakes up.”

Arturo trotted over to another corner of the cave sat down and folded his head under his wing.

Emane sighed and looked down at Kiora. Her hair was plastered around her face with sweat and dirt. She was so pale, Emane had to rely on feeling her breath just to convince himself that she was still alive. Leaning back, he closed his eyes trying to make sense of the last twenty-four hours. Kiora shifted with a groan and Emane found himself tightening his arms around her, pulling her closer.

Even covered in dirt and grime, she was beautiful. Her dark eyelashes lay over the top of her cheeks just a few inches from his lips and he closed his eyes trying not to think about how close her face was to his. Taking a few deep breaths, Emane tried to relax. Relaxing however, allowed all of the pains of that day to come into focus. His shoulders and biceps were throbbing with the force of piercing the Dragon, and his stomach was far beyond growling. He groaned out loud, it felt as if he had swallowed the sword himself.

Arturo perked his head up to look at him.

“Sorry.”

Arturo kept looking at him. He remembered with some embarrassment that Arturo could hear his thoughts, which of course meant that he had just heard everything he had been thinking about Kiora.

Dropping his head against the wall behind him he rolled his eyes. “Arturo, you can’t tell her.”

Arturo didn’t move.

“Arturo I mean it!” he said glaring at him. “Those are my thoughts. And right now I would like to keep them to myself.”

It took a while, but Arturo finally nodded.

Emane shifted, trying to get comfortable. “Do you think there is any way you could stop doing that?”

Arturo shook his head.

“Really?” No, again.

“But I have your word you will keep my thoughts to yourself?”

Arturo snorted putting his head back under his wing.