Dragon Dreams

Chapter 38: Chaos (2/2)

I thought about talking to Tenaya that first time up in the tree. It felt like months ago. I remembered how she had risked so much find me when I was with the Vrost. The more I considered what she just said, the more I felt incomplete without her too. Even if we were both facing death, even if it meant letting all the pain back in. It was worth it.

"I will," I said, my voice low.

My athka tentatively extended in her direction. The old wounds opened again, the pain of all the dragons around me returned like countless icy daggers in my spirit. But Tenaya pulled me in close and her gratitude drowned out the other emotions. Our link deepened, revealing the full breadth of her feelings; she was familiar in a way that calmed me despite the circumstances.

"Thank you."

Stolvir's athka slipped into my awareness as well, his spirit welcoming me. The young dragon's grief was raw and sharp, but his suffering resonated with my own. My perspective was different now. "I'm sorry," I told them both.

The shaman then reached out to brush my spirit. I almost flinched back; she was unrecognizable. The unshakable calmness and wisdom were clouded by the same fatigue and fear that we all felt. I never expected Eysri to seem anything less than totally in control.

"We must act quickly," she broadcast to our small group of resisting dragons. Tenaya had taken a step to the side, and I looked around. Nyraz was injured and barely conscious, still holding her mate's head. The rest of the dragons were ones I barely knew, none of them warriors. I thought I saw some Vrost defectors as well, but none displayed markings of ancient magic.

Across the plains, Uldor and his followers were setting upon various fractured groups of dragons, those who were former humans fell first, others were subdued or killed as well if they showed opposition. I saw three small groups still standing. In total there were a few dozen Vrost and clan dragons left to fight Uldor.

It's not enough. Not even close.

I watched in the distance as the white dragon and his gang scattered the last of the resisting dragons, those who were left alive became quickly vanishing specks as they fled into the skies. That only left us. Uldor turned in our direction and began to lumber toward us, flanked by his warriors. There wasn't so much as a scratch on his snowy hide.

Tenaya had picked up on my thinking, she too realized we were outmatched. "I wish we all had the ancient magic like Eysri," she said. "Then we might have more strength to match him."

The shaman's runes were already glowing again. She stood in a line with me, Tenaya, and Stolvir, the four of us out in front of the rest of the dragons. Eysri's shield magic glowed faintly in the air up ahead, which was just in time to block streams of energy that Uldor hurled in our direction. The shield absorbed the blow, but the black dragon gritted her teeth, her athka radiated fatigue.

"Maybe..." I started, lost in thought. I tried desperately to direct my focus, to think of something, anything to keep us in the fight. The ground shook again, reminding me that the volcano was our enemy as much as Uldor.

"Maybe we don't need the ancient magic ourselves," I finished. "We just need to get through to those who do possess the magic we need: the ancients."

My eyes turned to Eysri, who gave a quick nod, still laboring to hold up her shield. "It's...possible," she said. "But it will have to be on you three. I cannot...spare any of my strength or focus to aid you. We are also...running out of time."

"But how do we do it without you?"

The reply came fast and urgent. "You three need to fuse your athkan...as tightly as possible—gather all your energy into one unified spirit. Then...you must extend your awareness farther than you ever have before. The ancestors are all around us, you just...need to listen."