Dragon of Legend: Deception (BK3)

chapter 8

Chapter 8 "Lindsy"

To Akira's pleasant surprise both Liam and Anita had been chosen by a dragon, both of whom they had left a good distance away when they had decided to advance on foot and the Watchers had come upon them, their dragons preventing both Anita's and Liam's from coming to their aid. It was not hard work to drive the dragons away and free Anita and Liam's two, and by the time Redemption decided to show up everything was taken care of. To her further surprise Akira found that Anita's dragon was the very same one which the council had tried to force her to fight against the last time she had been here. A large bay colored female. Liam's was a somewhat smaller one, a young male who was an aqua blue. When everyone was mounted and ready to go they proceeded with their journey, heading towards Academy City. 

When they passed over the quarries everyone went silent. Gina, Drake, Will and Seth stared in disbelief at the land below that was bare and scarred from endless digging, small canyons formed among it. Akira comforted herself with the knowledge that the quarries were closed and no one was forced to work there anymore. She had made sure of that in her last visit. Yet seeing them once again still brought a jolt of sadness through her as she remembered the day she had watched the thin, starved dragon's and humans alike come out of them to freedom. Seeing the land still scared like it was she wondered if it would ever recover. 

"In time," Redemption assured her. "You saw how the land that suffered under Haiden's rule has recovered." 

Akira smiled at the thought. 

Before they reached the end of the quarries they all stopped, landing inside one of the canyons. There it was agreed that everyone except Seth and Akira, would go on ahead. Will, Gina and Drake's presence would make Anita, Liam and Dominique less noticeable to Watchers, and if anyone asked, they were knew riders in town, looking to go and join the academy. Dominique assured that once they got to Lindsy's place, which had been revealed was near the edge of the city making it all the more easier to approach, that he would return with some coloring to change Redemption's color so that Akira could follow on. Ultimately they had agreed on staying the night at Lindsy's as it was already getting late and it would give them a chance to discuss things with the others before taking them back to the past. 

While Seth and Akira waited they sat together on a large rock and Akira told Seth in more detail about her time in the future. 

"So," Seth murmured, "Your saying they actually made you fight a dragon, the same dragon Anita now has?" 

"Apparently the council found it entertaining," Akira sighed. 

"If you ask me, they sound almost as bad as Haiden," Seth said, his brown eyes troubled. 

"I know," Akira replied, leaning her head against Seth's shoulder and staring at the sky into which darkness was creeping. "Which is why I'm so worried that Nemis is back in the picture." 

"You should have killed him," Seth spoke, surprising Akira, for Seth usually did not say such things. 

"Redemption told me the same thing," Akira replied. "I guess that I just wanted to hope that there could be some good in him....besides, what if Steeson is somehow controlling him like Argos?" 

From where he was lying some distance off Redemption let out a snort. 

"I'm not sure about this whole controlling thing," Seth sighed. 

"Dominique wouldn't lie," Akira replied confidently. 

"Yeah, but what if Argos is actually following this Steeson guy willingly? And Dominique's brother to?"