Dreigiau Book 1: The Gift of Flame

Chapter 16

They look exactly like the statues I saw at the Host Gate!

AsaHi craned her head back, staring up at the monolithic stone dragons that arched over the small rock clearing. Their eyes were hooded in deep shadow, giving them a more daunting feel. Their wings reached up towards the sky, meeting at a pointed peak directly above the circle etched on the stone ground.

"Welcome to the Wayrift of Ceiswyr," Zento waved one hand in a grandiose motion.

"Ceiswyr? Is that the city's name?" AsaHi peeked around from behind Kaze's arm.

"That's right. Just walk into the Rift and you'll be there," Zento nodded.

As he stepped forward, a light began to trickle from his form. It dripped down from his open palms, pooling into the middle of the circle, tracing the engraved runes and lighting the ground with a pale blue glow. The flame touched his eyes, illuminating them with a power from within.

"Brace yourself," he told her, glancing back over his shoulder.

That magic! It... it's just like...

The memory of her discovery in the Host Gate bubbled through her mind.

But something was happening here, something different. She watched as the light enveloped Zento's form, a luminous shape drawing outwards from his body. The girl squinted in disbelief as the energy began to take form and a pair of silver-blue wings spread from the man's shoulders.

"Zento!" her voice squeaked his name as her fingers clutched Kaze's cloak, holding the hem tight in apprehension.

Wings!

The winged man turned to her, standing within the circle of soft light. His features were lit from the glowing pillar that extended up from the runic ground to the sky. His expression was gentle, a face that understood and sympathized with her reservations.

"It's all right. You have nothing to fear from this place," he told her, wings dappled by the dancing reflections of the runes below. "We need to move quickly. I can't leave this Rift open for long. The energy it gives off might attract notice that we'd rather not have."

AsaHi bit down on her lip.

"It's not going to hurt you," Zento extended his hand towards her. "You have my utmost word."

The girl stared at his outreached hand with hesitation.

"I'm not sure what you saw on your journey here," he continued softly. "But we are the true people of the Dreigiau. We have sworn to use our knowledge and power for protection."

The girl didn't completely understand his words, but she could hear the sincere concern that edged into the man's voice. Taking a deep breath, AsaHi moved forward. One foot in front of the other, she carefully avoided stepping on the etchings in the stone. Kaze walked next to her, patiently holding her arm.

Light danced around them both as she passed through the first barrier. Tall shafts of blue rose from the streams of energy that flowed through the narrow rock. AsaHi lifted her face, watching the shimmers drifting up into the sky over the arched wings of the stone dragons. Their eyes were also lit a brilliant, pale blue.

As Zento's hand closed around her own, a sharp jolt of energy raced up her arm. The light around them grew so brilliant that the rest of the world faded from her vision. Her body felt suspended in mid-air, as if her limbs weighed nothing at all. Her senses fought to tell her that Kaze was right there next to her, but she couldn't feel or see him.

For half a heartbeat, AsaHi knew what it felt like to be nowhere.

Then, a downward jerk sent her stomach lurching up into her throat. It took the girl a few seconds before she realized her feet were back on solid land. Caught between gratitude and relief, AsaHi slowly opened her eyes. The faded crimson of Kaze's cloak was the first thing she saw. Turning her head, Zento's huge grin beamed down at her.