Chapter 34

  There came a gust of wind. And then, a deep exhale, slow and measured. Black smoke came pouring from the dragon’s snout, dark clouds billowing in its shadow and breaking in its wake. And through the storm, the serpent’s eye watched.

  “Who…” A low voice purred. And again, “Who dares enter my domain?” A whisper that rolled across the hall, echoing throughout, murmuring from everywhere and nowhere, beating against her heart. Cari trembled in her arms, burying her face deep inside Fia’s robes.

  “We mean you no harm! We are simple—”

  “—Explorers!” cried Cari, shaking her fist. “And you could have killed me!”

  “It would have been well within my right!” the dragon boomed. “The only reason you are not burning even now is that your mother’s magic intrigues me. But do not mistake that for mercy, I do not suffer thieves. Especially those who trespass so boldly, taking no heed of the signs, ignoring all warnings. Did you think you would be welcomed? As they did?” Its tail twitched, whipping through the air, scattering the smoldering remains of the Red Sun’s army.

  “We’re not like them!” Fia shouted. “We are not thieves!” As the light of the dragon fire burned out, and the smoke was pulled away through the wind tunnels, Fia finally saw the dragon whole. It was not as she expected. A Pale and twisted thing, and though still terrifying to behold, there was a meagerness to it, a sickness.

  The dragon was silent. Its long neck curled around the black stone of the forge, and her head drew close, until it stood mere feet away. “And what kind of fool would admit to being a thief in my presence?” She sneered, lips pulling back to reveal rows of glistening fangs.

  “Only a fool would lie to a dragon.”

  The great drake shook with laughter, a guttural roar that rattled her scales as fire fell from her tongue.

  “Good! Very Good!” she chuckled. “There is nothing that soothes my wrath as flattery does. For all that fire needs is something to feed it.” Again, she drew closer, twisting herself until her eyes grew to be all Fia could see. In their gaze, she saw the flame that ruled her, a lost fire, but its heat still warmed her face and filled her thoughts with doubt. She did not seem like the dragons Sophie had told her of, but did that mean she was more or less than them?

  “Tell me, girl, why have you come here?”

  “We are explorers,” she repeated. “It is true we came here searching for the treasures of the Forge, but we would not steal them.” Fia hesitated, then sank into a deep bow. Cari squirmed in her arms as she dipped, nearly slipping out of them entirely. “We were unaware,” She rose, struggling to keep the girl from escaping, “that a being such as yourself had taken up residence in the Crag. Please forgive us for our ignorance.”

  “How could we have known… anyone that might have told us was more than likely burned to ash when this lizard—Aaah!”

  She gave Cari a sharp pinch, and the girl fell silent, glaring up at the diamond head. She was right, but there was no sense in antagonizing the dragon. Not unless they wanted to find themselves suddenly back home, having to make the journey all over again.

  But the dragon was undisturbed, waiting patiently for her to continue.

  “What may we call you…. Oh, magnificent…one?” Was that too much? It felt that way, but the dragon seemed pleased.

  “I am Syreen,” she replied, “Song of the Endless Night, the Moonborn Flame, Last Keeper of Orikal!” Her voice grew as she spoke, rising with every word. And she rose with it, her wings unfolding to blanket the room in their shade. And the light that hung burning from the ceiling and lining every wall grew cold as she drew them in as kindling, until all that remained was a pale blue glimmer, starlight, and the fire that lit her towering inferno.

  Above, amidst the dancing stars of the cavern's peak, waxed a cold moon. As it drifted across the phantasm, it crumbled away, breaking open like a shell. And from beneath the cracks, the shadows of strange winged beasts fell, their bodies raining down upon the land.

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  Syreen began to sing. And the dragon’s voice was transformed. High, and sweet, and clear. A wordless lament, a requiem for the Moonborn. She sang until the last dragon fell, until the moon was gone, and the stars faded to nothing. Only then did she grow still, allowing the golden light of the forge to retake, as she shrank back around its heat.

  “Did not the dragons leave this continent long ago?” The fire had once again abandoned Syreen, dulling the luster of her scales as she turned grey. She could not be a threat in this state, could she? But it was still better to be delicate about these things.

  “My children…through the storm, across the Silver Sea to a land of great peaks and still waters…”

  “Why did you stay behind?”

  “What more does fire need than something to feed it. There could be no crossing for us all, and it is a mother’s duty to provide, even at her own peril.” Syreen nodded weakly, “I’m sure you understand.”

  “I am no mother,” Fia replied, but she held Cari a little tighter all the same.

  And the dragon laughed, coughing as she shook. “In that matter, one has no choice. One either is or is not. We are the same, girl. Tell me again, why you are here.”

  “There is a treasure in the mountain. One that calls to us.”

  “As it calls to all,” Syreen nodded slowly, “You seek the Crimson Eye?”

  “I do…”

  “For what purpose would you use the mountain's flame? And why would I gift it to you when I have denied so many others?”

  “Perhaps we could make a trade?”

  “And what could you possibly offer me that I would not simply take for myself?”

  “How about your life!” Cari shouted, leaping from her arms, swinging the Trident wildly, “You can’t even break my… Fia’s shield, just wait until Ella gets here! You won’t stand a chance!”

  Cari was going to get them killed. But Syreen only watched, amused by the bravado, and there was a longing in her dark eyes.

  “She is a feisty one, isn’t she?” The dragon sighed, wisps of smoke trailing from her cold lips, “This Ella, though… She is the final member of your party?

  “Well…”

  “Do not think to hide this from me,” Syreen continued, “I have known since you first entered the room. There are three distinct auras, although the hidden one dwarfs that of yours and the girls. It hides you more than anything. Who is she to you?”

  “Ella is our protector.”

  “You must be quite powerful to have chained such a being to you in this way.”

  “What? No,” Ella had belonged to Sophie, she was sure of that, but why… “She was gifted to me.”

  “Curious.” Syreen puffed. “Is this why you are so confident that I will part with my prize? Because you have already convinced another to part with theirs?”

  “No…No!” She shook her head, “I never asked for Ella, I never asked for any of this.”

  “But you are asking me.”

  “We didn’t know you would be here! We thought… we can trade.”

  “Again, what can you offer me?”

  “What do you want? Is there anything we can offer you? I will give it to you if it is in my power!”

  “What I want is for my children to be safe. To know that when I have passed on, there will still be a place for them in this world, that no matter what happens outside of these halls, the last flame of the moon will still burn for them. I cannot give you the ruby and have this be so.”

  “Is there no deal that can be reached? No compromise?” Fia plead. “We need the ruby. We cannot go home without it!”

  “As a mother, I ache for you, girl, but your child is not mine, and she will never come before my own.”

  “Syreen, your children are dead. The storm that claimed them broke nearly one thousand years ago. Today, House Weiss rules both sides of the Silver Sea, and there are no dragons on either!”

  Silence. All that could be heard was the groan of the Forge’s bellows, and the whoosh of air pulled through long tunnels. Finally, the dragon spoke.

  “And you thought I did not know this?” she whispered, uncoiling from around the forge. “That I lay here in ignorance, that you could break me with this knowledge?”

  “No, no, I do not wish to hurt you, I would help you, if I can! But some things cannot be changed. Your children are gone, Syreen. But Cari can still be saved. You must give me the ruby.”

  “Am I so powerless in your eyes?” She struggled to her feet, wings tattered, scales dulled, but eyes still burning.

  “I am Syreen. It was by my flame that these halls were built. As I fell from the heavens, the golden hand was revealed to me, and through my counsel did we prepare for its reckoning. I will reclaim the power of the Crimson Eye, relight our dying star, and reforge our world as I wrest it from the madness that has seeped in. I am Syreen, the Mother of Dragons, and I shall be whole again.”

  And she plunged her arm into the forge, clawing at its heart and plucking from it a great stone. Red as blood, brilliant and terrible to behold. It's fire, so great that even dragon scales could not withstand its heat. They softened, melting around the ruby, fusing in the palm of her hand, burning into her flesh. And she lifted it to her jaw and bit down.

  The dragon screamed as her fangs shattered against the rock, breaking into pieces on its shell. But the ruby cracked, and from it poured light. A fire that dripped from the core, mixing with the dragon's blood as it swirled down her throat. She drank it whole, until the stone was empty, pale and dull. And she brought her claw back down on the black anvil, and the ruby broke and was no more.

  In its dying light, she turned upon them, eyes crimson, the fire within raging as it burst from her with every breath.

  “I am truly sorry.” She rasped, her tongue flicking in and out, spraying drops of molten flame into the air. “I would let you leave, but I know you would only return stronger, perhaps even strong enough to defeat me. No, you must be removed so that I may fulfill the promise of my birth.”

  Syreen unhinged her jaw, and the red storm burned bright, rising from her belly like the sun at dawn.

  And it rained down upon them.

  Cycle: Cari 19-1