DARKLIGHT

- 20 -

The next morning, the fog cleared, and we could see the Forxier Mountains again. They were so close that I could distinguish individual trees on the snow line. Kaces and I didn't have any snow gear, of course, and creating warm clothing for mountain weather would be nearly as slow and energy-consuming as braving the cold. I again hoped that Kaces knew what he was doing.

We lifted off early and still appeared to have nobody on our tail, but Kaces was growing more and more agitated, constantly looking behind us as we flew. My nerves were also fried. Either we were being followed and we couldn't tell, or the Master was putting no effort into finding us. At least, not yet.

I brought up my concerns to Kaces as we flew, edging close to his side, under his wings. "The Master must want to find me, right?"

Kaces smiled wryly, which looked very intimidating in his dragon form. "Don't worry, you're definitely still wanted. The Master isn't one to give up easily."

A little later, my curiosity again got the better of me. "I've been wondering something else, too," I started, and Kaces glanced down with slight interest, encouraging me to go on. "Where did your scars come from?"

Kaces was silent for at least two minutes, and I figured he must have not heard me. I nearly repeated my question before he said, "Before the second day that you escaped to the mural garden, I hadn't gotten a scar in a very long time. My first three were also because of the Master, though."

I recalled how Kaces had referred to the Master as a she. "So, she did that to you because of me?"

"Sort of, yes." I felt strangely apologetic, but before I could say anything else, Kaces added, "The Master isn't the one who cut me, it was technically my own doing." He sighed. "It's complicated." Suddenly, his ears perked up and he looked down at the steep foothill we were starting to glide over. "This is the place."

I followed his gaze, trying to see what he saw, but the trees looked dense and unremarkable. "What are you talking about?" I said, laughing anxiously. Kaces abruptly stopped, pushing his wings into the wind, and dove down through the trees. "Wait, where are you going?" He miraculously managed to not hit any trees on the way down. The forest was thicker here than it had ever been.

Nervously, I dove into the forest and wove my way through branches, but without the advantage of gliding, I quickly got tired. Just as the ground was in sight, I slammed into a large bough and fell, barely managing to catch myself on another tree. I dug my eagle claws deep into the bark and edged my way down until I hit leaves.

Don't you think this would be easier as a human? Anahid said as I examined the woods around me. I'm too big to navigate down here.

I nodded and switched back, noticing Anahid's presence fade. "Kaces!" I called. "Zephion!" There was no reply. "This isn't funny!" I shook my arms to try to work some feeling back into them. The air at this higher altitude was bitterly cold, even on the ground. We were nearing the snow line.

The trees were eerily still. I strained my ears for any sign of movement, but there was none. I'd completely lost my sense of direction during my descent, too. My only hope was the foothill's slope, and I went up, not knowing what else to do.

I nearly passed right by the mark, but as I walked, I noticed a strange print in some open dirt. It was much too hoof-shaped to be from Zephion, though. I could see the rest of the prints in the leaves a little, and I followed them away from my straight path. A few other sets of prints came to meet the ones I was following, filled with claws and paws, and suddenly filled with panic, I quickened my pace.

Unexpectedly, the tracks stopped. Given that the ground was solid, the only place I could think of that the arkaetres would have gone was up. Then, I realized that the ground wasn't solid, but gave a little under my feet. I lit my symbol, planning to use Ortiyano, but before I could do anything with my magic, the ground shuddered and began to slide backward, revealing a large room under the surface, carved into the packed dirt. I backed away as the hidden door slid open to its full extent. Once it stopped, I tentatively peeked in.

Kaces was standing at the bottom of a huge cavern, surrounded by at least ten Dark winged arkaetres. They were in a standstill, but Kaces was visibly struggling as he held a large shield up around Zephion. A passageway led deeper into the ground at the back of the room, but it was blocked by three harpies. All of them met my eyes at once, and Kaces looked at me in concerned amazement. "Run, Sid."

The door shuddered again and began to slide shut, meeting the swarm of harpies, eagles, pegasi, and dragons that were charging me. Without truly knowing what I was doing, I took Anahid's form and dove straight at the onslaught with a fierce cry. "No!" Kaces shouted.

Siderion! What are you doing?

"Atva!"

The harpy leading the arkaetres screeched and fell back down into the room, knocking into other fliers along the way. The cavern was a lot deeper than I'd anticipated. In the extra dead time in the air, I was attacked on all sides. I hoped as they closed in on me that my distraction would give Kaces enough time to react. An eagle latched onto my leg, and I cried, "Parcalanir!" The shield caught the arkaetre off guard and knocked them away. Another harpy was similarly surprised and diverted their attack.

I made it to the ground next to Kaces in a swarm of fliers bouncing harmlessly off my shield. Kaces was being similarly mauled, and his shield magic was starting to flicker as Zephion knelt under its weight. The sunlight coming in from the door was rapidly fading, and as the light disappeared completely, I heard Kaces scream, "Siderion, here!" I bolted, following his voice.

The air became abruptly dry and stale. The sounds of the Dark arkaetres were right behind us, but strangely, we appeared to be gaining on them. I heard Zephion's heavy breathing, and the dragon inside Kaces said, "Look back. I want to see them."

Kaces sighed and the sounds of his footfalls slowed. "Dzirksteles Palju," he called into the darkness, and it was suddenly illuminated with thousands of sparks gathered around Kaces's now visible hand. A seething wall of fliers was stopped before the mouth of the passage we had entered. They were close enough to be within a stone's throw, and yet, none of them moved nearer. A thin sheet of brightness, like fog, blocked their way.

"Take that!" Zephion called with a thundering laugh.

Kaces took control at that point. "We're losing time. Come on, Sid." He stormed down the stone passageway on all fours, and I hesitated before running after his trail of sparks.