Converging Destinies: Part 2

Chapter 283

       Cedric's eyes snapped to the falling form of Eris. After mere seconds, their form slammed against the ground, and Ara' Sei winced.

       "Come on come on come on." Ara' Sei said, pausing for the briefest moment to open the pouch where she kept the diamonds.

       Cedric tucked his wings closer to him, and he gained speed, rocketing towards Eris' body on the ground.

       "We're gonna have to get pretty close for this to work." Ara' Sei said, clutching the diamond.

       Ara' Sei glanced at all the dragons flying towards her and Cedric, and she took a deep breath.

       "We're gonna have to go towards the orchard right after we get Eris." Ara' Sei said. Cedric didn't seem to react. As they rocketed towards the body, Ara' Sei let her power flow into the diamond, and it began to glow with pale light.

       Then, the moment she was close enough, she released the power within the diamond. The diamond shattered into hundreds of tiny, glowing pieces that fell to the ground.

       Eris' shattered corpse flashed with pale light, and they stood on the ground, their eyes wide. They grunted as Cedric seized them in his talons.

       "W-What happened?" Eris asked.

       "You died, we're going to the orchard." Ara' Sei said. She let light flow up her arm, but it didn't burn this time. Then, she reached her hand to the sky and the pale light flew high above.

       Then, a beacon of light manifested high above and slightly forward. Looking ahead, Ara' Sei could just barely see the forms of Ella and Zerai flying straight towards them.

       Eris clambered from Cedric's talons onto the back of his eagle form. Ara' Sei put her hands on their shoulders, and pale light rushed through them.

       "Thank you, w-how did I die?" Eris asked.

       "I have absolutely no idea, but I'm not looking forward to finding out." Ara' Sei said. She squinted towards Ella and Zerai. Then, she reached out her hand.

       "Go towards the orchard, we're getting out of here." Ara' Sei whispered to Zerai. She smiled as he turned around and started flying towards the orchard.

       "Alright Cedric, now that we're all on the same page, get us to the orchard." Ara' Sei requested.

       The orchard in the distance drew closer and closer. Then, Ara' Sei's eyes looked at Aaronsworth. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment.

       "I hope someone survives." She whispered beneath her breath.

       As Cedric drew closer to Ella and Zerai, Ara' Sei could see that Ella was covered in blood. Ara' Sei glanced behind her at the dragons that followed. There were over ten of them still alive, how could the group have a chance at fighting that?

       Ella and Zerai began to fly after Cedric, and soon the group had converged on a single tree. Cedric wrapped his talons around the tree and an emerald doorway flashed into being, its outline visible on the brown trunk of the tree. Everyone rushed to get through the tree, and Cedric did his best to squeeze through after.

       After everyone had gone through, the doorway faded, and the group was left in an unfamiliar place. The temperature had dropped slightly, as they were over a hundred miles further North than before.

       The sky was gray, and filled with mist. Rolling green hills covered in a blanket of overgrown grass surrounded the group.

       Behind them lay a small, gnarled tree.

       "Here we are, about ten miles North of Fort Ao." Cedric said. Ara' Sei turned around in surprise, not aware he had already transformed back.

       "How many did you two kill?" Ara' Sei asked, looking to Ella and Zerai.

       "Three." Zerai replied.

       "Okay, the plan... worked?" Ara' Sei asked. Sure, they had narrowed the number of dragons down significantly. But how could they have won when Aaronsworth was certainly being destroyed?