Chapter III

  The weeks passed slowly, despite the workload put on Drake. In his father’s absence, it was his responsibility to oversee the lands and training of the boys. His mother was there to help guide him, yet the decisions to be made were his. His mind was a buzz from sunup to long after sundown. When word reached them that his father was on his way back, after a full moon, Drake took the opportunity to sneak away for a few days into the woods before Lord David returned. As promised, he took Rhey with him. His archery training was coming along well, so he brought a couple of bows to hunt with.

  “Let’s look for that cave,” Rhey said excitedly on the first morning.

  “I’ve seen every part of these woods,” Drake told her. “I have never seen a cave or a god. And if we want to eat today, I need to hunt. Stay here for now and practice your archery.”

  “Why is it you don’t mind me learning to shoot?” she asked. “Isn’t it against the law to teach women how to fight?”

  “The best protection a guardian can give is to teach their charge how to protect themselves,” he told her.

  “So why not teach me how to fight with swords?” she asked.

  “Because I don’t have any good practice swords to teach you with,” he answered simply. “Practice with your bow for now, and the next time we’ll sneak some swords away.”

  He walked away into the woods and was soon tracking a herd of deer. They would eat well today if he succeeded. Deeper and deeper, he went into the woods following a herd of deer, hoping to spot them soon. The night before had been rather nice, and he wanted to return to it quickly. Rhey skipped on teasing him and instead was quite sweet. They had reached the woods with a couple hours left of daylight and so he taught her the basics of archery. When there was nothing left of the sun’s light, he built a fire and cooked some food they took from the castle kitchen. They had sat for hours discussing the possible war with Mondall, Drake’s race, and the story Lady Rosoline had told them. When there was nothing else to be said, Drake laid out their blankets, separating them by the fire for propriety’s sake. Rhey would have none of it, and after much arguing, they slept wrapped in each other’s arms for warmth and comfort. If Lady Nelver had seen that, she would have lost her temper for sure, yet the two young children were rather comfortable close together, even if it did go against everything Drake was taught.

  Though he was young, and it still shouldn’t have mattered yet, he had to finally admit to himself that he genuinely liked to be close to Rhey. Her hair was smelled of wildflowers, her milky skin was soft when they held hands, and her sapphire eyes made his heart flutter. Mind you, he would never tell her that, yet it was true, nonetheless. Maybe Lady Nelver had been right to be worried about them, though he would keep that to himself.

  Drake followed the trail for more than an hour. Eventually, he found the herd grazing in a meadow deep in the forest. As he hid in a nearby bush, keeping very still and his breath almost held, he looked through the herd to pick his target. Lord David was adamant about how the wild game in this forest be treated. The head of the herd, a magnificent buck with twelve-point antlers, must be left to live or it would cause chaos among the herd and steal strong bloodlines. Drake also avoided mothers and their foals, as the children of any kind were sacred and taking a mother could cause the foal to suffer and perish unnecessarily. Drake picked out a doe, long enough into her adulthood to be adequate and no apparent offspring, then loosed an arrow, keeping all Dolmont had been teaching him firm in mind. The arrow struck her neck just below her head and she was down in an instant. The sudden death startled the rest of the herd and they lopped off into the forest gracefully, if terrified.

  He returned to the camp with the doe on his back to see Rhey wasn’t there. Knowing her, she found something interesting and followed it. He wasn’t worried; the only dangerous things in these woods were bears, and they kept to themselves. Unless she got between a mother and her cub, Rhey would be fine. He hung the deer from a tree not far from camp and began the gory process of cleaning it, burying the skin and innards to keep the animals away. He climbed the tree to hoist it higher, hoping it would be enough to protect his prize from predators, and set to looking for Rhey. He might not have been afraid for her, yet he knew all too well how easily she got into trouble. Silently, he thanked his father for teaching him to track or he never would have known how to begin. He followed the small footprints, constantly calling out her name.

  His search led him deep into the forest, about a league from camp, and around noon he heard her scream. The sound sent a chill up his spine, and he could almost feel her heart’s fear. Ignoring the bow on his back and the sword on his side, he pulled the Dragon God’s dagger from his belt and threw off his cloak, running to her aid. It was difficult for him to run, as fear poured into his heart. She screamed again and his legs felt like cold molasses as he put all his effort into reaching her. It occurred to him, somewhere in the back of his mind, that it wasn’t like him to panic in any situation, yet he did have a growing soft spot for her.

  He crashed through the trees and bushes, bursting out onto the trail and took the scene in one quick glance.

  She was up a short tree with a young male bear trying to climb or knock it down. He realized it probably found Rhey to be an easy meal, yet he took no sympathy as he moved into action. He jumped on its back, sliced its throat, and before the bear could fall, he used its shoulders to jump up on Rhey’s branch in the tree.

  “You really need to stay in safe places,” he said wrapping an arm around her waist. He jumped back down with her in one arm and set her down gently.

  “I was following the voice,” she said snapped irritably. “I’m not fool enough to seek trouble when you’re not around.”

  “What voice?” he asked frowning.

  “You didn’t hear it?” she demanded. “It was calling to me.”

  “So, you followed? Are you out of your mind?” he demanded of her.

  “Of course not,” she said defensively. “It was a kind voice. I think it was Avolate.”

  “What makes you think Avolate is here?” he asked incredulously. “For that matter, what could a god possibly want with you?”

  “Are you trying to say I’m not special?” she asked hotly.

  “Yes, I think you’re special,” Drake assured her, trying to balance his irritation with her against his good sense to keep the peace between them, “but this is a god.”

  He stopped for a moment and thought about it. Avolate was the God of Mischief; maybe she did warrant the attention of this particular god. Rhey was mischievous enough to be the god’s high priest, of that he was sure, yet he still wasn’t ready to admit its validity.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” she declared. “You think it could be him and you think I could warrant his attention. Let’s follow it and see what we find. If it’s a trick, you’re the best protection I could have. I don’t think even the gods would want to battle you. No matter what it is, we can handle it.”

  “How did you do that?” he asked suddenly. “That was exactly what I was thinking.”

  “I could see it in your eyes,” she shrugged.

  “No,” Drake said slowly as he shook his head. “It’s like you took the words right out of my head.”

  “Then let’s follow the voice and find out?”

  “The best safety is to stay away from danger,” he retorted. “I don’t think we should do this.”

  “Drake, when was the last time you could keep me from doing something I wanted to do?” she asked impatiently. “This is something I will do with or without you. I genuinely think we won’t be in serious danger, or I wouldn’t go.”

  “You’re not going to give me a choice in this, are you?” he asked.

  “I knew I could count on you,” she smiled sweetly.

  He sighed in defeat and gestured for her to her lead the way.

  “Do you hear the voice now?” he asked carefully.

  “No, it came to me while I was shooting at a tree and showed me where to go. Somehow, it set the knowledge in my mind as if it were an old memory that I can only half remember. It sounds strange, but I know it’s nothing dangerous; like it’s something that will tell me more about something important. It’s as if I was on a search for the truth and the voice is guiding me there.”

  “That’s pretty vague,” he mumbled under his breath.

  Drake worried severely about Rhey’s sensibilities yet kept it prudently to himself. It almost sounded like magic, yet he had only heard stories of such things. Magic was something forbidden to speak of, and he had never thought more on it. He heard the age-old stories, typically spoken in harsh whispers, yet everyone knew it wasn’t real. It was the sort of thing parents told their children to frighten them. Now he wasn’t so sure. His mother, during the story about the dragon god, mentioned forbidding magic was simply a fear of the misunderstood. She specifically didn’t say it didn’t exist, and in fact conveyed a trust in it by dismissing the forbidden nature of such things. Exist or not, he was certain this might be someone playing a nasty trick on them or leading them into danger. Still, Rhey was committed, so he had no choice but to follow her into the possible peril.

  They walked along the trial for only a few minutes before they turned into the deeper, untracked forest. The longer they walked, the more he feared something wrong ahead. Through a stream, over hills, they walked and walked all the while becoming more nervous about the expedition. Drake had combed the entire forest many times in his short life, yet he had never seen this part. They were working their way down into a ravine that he swore didn’t exist, when Rhey suddenly stopped, turned to the right, and headed toward an outcropping of rock. Drake followed her, and as they drew near, his mouth fell open and his mind began working furiously.

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  There, just barely visible from the side, was the mouth of a cave that opened out onto a cliff that dropped some sixty feet. As they drew closer, clouds overhead gathered from nowhere and it began to rain, yet he wasn’t getting wet. Then, as he looked down into the gully, he saw a girl that couldn’t have been any older than him come crashing through the trees with fear-stricken eyes.

  “Rhey,” he said cautiously, “do you see this?”

  He glanced at her as the unknown girl began scurrying up the steep hill. Rhey was so entranced that she hadn’t even heard him. The two children watched as the girl climbed quickly, hesitated for just a second, and turned towards them. Drake tried to move out of her way, yet he wasn’t quick enough. Instead of running headlong into him, she passed through as though he were insubstantial. As he turned to see her doing the same to Rhey, he noticed a man at the bottom of the hill. He had fiery red hair, emerald eyes that seemed electrified, and a wicked grin that sent a chill down his spine. Drake stared at him in shock, disbelieving such a strange and evil looking person could exist.

  “Drake,” Rhey called.

  He turned and looked to see her standing in front of the cave mouth, beckoning him on in earnest. After one more glance at the man at the bottom of the hill, Drake made his way over to the cave quickly and followed Rhey in. Just as the story had said, the light from outside seemed unable to penetrate the cave mouth. The moment Drake stepped through, everything went absolutely black, as if he had gone blind. Drake followed the sounds of Rhey’s footsteps, using the wall to guide him, deeper into the cave. He looked back once, wondering if the evil god from the story was standing before the cave already, yet the opening wasn’t there; it was just dark behind them as if the cave mouth closed, or had never really been there to begin with. When he turned back, a flickering white light reflected off the walls ahead. Sticking close to Rhey, and drawing the Dragon God’s dagger just in case, he followed the bouncing flame, even as he realized it wasn’t white, but silver. His muscles tensed with dangerous thoughts running through his mind. If this was what he thought it was, they were headed right into the cavern where the Dragon God was born. The goddess might have walked right through him, yet that didn’t mean the dragon wouldn’t see them, and there was no telling what an unknown creature might do.

  As the story had also said, the walk wasn’t long before it opened into the cavern, yet the light from the goddess disappeared as Rhey walked in and was replaced by a normal looking fire crackling in the center of the floor. It was normal, at least, until Drake realized there was no wood to burn.

  “Do you realize what this is?” Rhey asked, bending down to look closer at the fire.

  “Don’t touch it,” he warned.

  “It’s not even hot,” she said curiously as she stuck her hand in.

  “That doesn’t mean it’s not still dangerous,” he returned cautiously.

  She picked up what looked like a black shard of rock and examined it. From where Drake stood in the cavern entrance, dagger still in hand, he could see one side shone with a silver glint in the fire light. As he looked around, the whole floor seemed littered with the silver glittering black rock.

  “They’re not real,” Rhey announced confidently and even a little sad.

  “How do you know?” he asked, eyes still darting everywhere.

  She shook her head frowning.

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “They just don’t feel real.”

  He was about to ask how she could know what the real ones felt like, yet was interrupted by a dry, raspy, old voice that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

  “Nothing is real here,” the voice said. “It is nothing more than a memory.”

  Drake, who was high strung throughout the walk, stood before Rhey and took a defensive stance, ready to slice into anything that showed flesh to mutilate.

  “Who goes there?” he demanded in his bravest voice.

  “That is a mighty weapon for one so young. It seems the world has become ever more dangerous for a child to be carrying such a thing.” The voice sounded almost mocking, which only served to anger Drake.

  “I asked you a question,” he yelled. “Answer me!”

  “So authoritative,” the voice said. Drake could hear the teasing smile in the tone. “Could get one so young into trouble.”

  “Who are you?” he demanded.

  “What are you?” it retorted.

  “Drake, calm down,” Rhey said laying a hand on his shoulder. “What do you want from us?” she asked of the cave.

  “To complete the incomplete,” it said.

  “What do you mean?” Rhey asked. Drake felt a pang annoyance. Now was not the time for curiosity; it was time to get out of this cave.

  “Both so young, so complete separately, yet incomplete together.”

  “How do you mean?” Rhey asked, her own annoyance bubbling to the surface.

  “It is not to be understood until the opportune moment,” it answered.

  “Are you the one who brought us here?” Drake demanded.

  “Of course,” the raspy voice said sounding amused. “You must understand the truth before…” The voice trailed off.

  “Before what?” Rhey asked trying to force her temper down. Drake could almost feel her annoyance.

  “So many questions,” it laughed. “Yet not the questions either wants answered. Are you afraid?”

  “I fear nothing,” Drake said straightening his back and lifting his chin.

  “You fear for her,” the voice said. “You are not the brave warrior you think yourself to be. What bravery can one have without ever experiencing fear?”

  “Then what am I?” he challenged.

  “That is for you to learn on your own,” it said in an infuriatingly patient tone. “Calm yourselves and watch the memory of the lost gods emerge.”

  “Get comfortable,” she told Drake. “He won’t let us leave until we’ve seen what he brought us here to see.”

  Rhey dropped the fake eggshell and sat against the wall. Drake stared incredulously at her for a long moment. He glanced at the exit of the cavern only to see it wasn’t there. Despite his anxiety for the apparent danger, he realized she was right and whomever controlled the situation wouldn’t let them go until it had what it wanted. He sighed dejectedly and sat down beside her.

  They watched as the story unfolded from an unused corner. It was almost exactly as his mother had described, yet there weren’t words enough to speak of how beautiful the goddess was; she emanated beauty and love from her very core. Even Drake, who was now beginning to believe in the possibility of magic’s existence, could feel her overwhelming presence. As they breathlessly watched the hatching of the first dragon egg, Rhey’s hand seemed to find his and held tight. If his mother was correct, these were his ultimate grandparents, yet he couldn’t think of what exactly that might mean, what implications could be gleaned from being of their direct line. Despite this, he noticed feeling a sort of happiness, a fullness, in watching his family ties begin. While the girl and dragon grew together in time that seemed faster than thought, and yet slow enough to make them feel like they were living it themselves, the raspy old voice spoke again.

  “There was nothing in the world like them,” it said. “The word dragon hadn’t even existed before he was born. The binds of love they shared were something the other gods still don’t understand, eons after their departure from this world. The Dragon God and his Rider Goddess were bound by their hearts and shared a single soul. This gave them abilities none had ever seen. They could feel each other’s feelings, hear one another’s thoughts, and feel pain as one. All others who followed had these same abilities within the lost race, and thus the saying went, ‘what happens to one happens to the other.’ Abilities were created in the image of their love, yet they have always been a dull comparison. To this day, only those two know why the dragons and riders were born.

  “There was one that couldn’t bear to witness this connection of love, however. The evil god, known as Asnu, coveted the Rider Goddess from the day she was born, yet she saw through his handsome exterior from the first moment she laid eyes on him. He always wanted what his blackened, evil heart could never have.”

  “The forbidden fruit is always the sweetest,” Drake whispered as he watched the black dragon and beautifully innocent goddess playing.

  “Asnu mistook his obsession for her as love and couldn’t stand seeing the dragon and their children filling her heart in his place. He knew nothing of the meaning of love, yet his twisted mind told him only he could be her equal. To any who was not a Rider, the dragons were hideous physically and personally, yet they never knew their beauty. Most saw the vengeance of the dragons where the Riders saw their hearts. Nothing infuriated Asnu more than to watch her love something so ugly, and though he thought his beauty matched hers, the goddess saw him for his internal hideousness.

  “The dragons were far more than flying mounts, even more than companions. They gave their riders abilities. Strength, speed, and magical stamina were among the common gifts the riders received. Dragons were compassionate and loyal, brave, and self-sacrificing, and yet were unstoppable, violent, and often brutal powers on the battlefield. Dragons and riders trained themselves and each other against their own weaknesses until even striking against a pair was lauded as a legendary feat. These powers caused them to limit themselves against the corrupted and seemingly impossible to kill. It became a moment of shame to strike down mortals, and humans especially.

  “Before the Thousand Year war, the Dragon God felt a great need and hid himself in a lone mountain none could find but he, and was given over to the voice of prophecy, telling only the rock that would one day become his grave.”

  The goddess was feeding the dragon, laughing without sound, as Drake and Rhey watched. That poor little dragon would eventually die by his son’s hand with the blade made from his own blood. It was blood, Drake realized, that killed the adorable little dragon and his love, now rolling in the dirt. By his blood with his blood.

  “That’s an interesting thought,” Rhey said admiringly.

  Drake was too lost in his own thoughts to realize there was something wrong with what she said, yet as it drew his attention more, he knew she hadn’t said it aloud.

  “How did you do that?” he wondered mentally, more to himself than anything.

  “Just like that,” she smiled.

  “You two are unlike anything in the world at the moment,” the voice told them gravely. “Already you are becoming more complete. The bonds you share grow stronger within you as we speak. Only those with the bonds like the dragons and riders can find that lone mountain and hear that prophecy.”

  “I thought you said only the Dragon God could find it,” Rhey argued. “How could we find it if it’s hidden to all but him?”

  “You have a piece of him with you now,” it answered in an amused tone.

  The dagger, Drake thought to himself.

  Rhey hissed in understanding, hearing Drake’s thought.

  “But how do we use it to find the mountain?” she asked the voice.

  “Of that, no one knows. The blade of the Dragon God is unique in its make. No one knows how exactly it works except the Dragon God himself.”

  “My question is, how is it he needed the dagger in the first place?” Drake asked.

  “That was something only he understood; he never told anyone why he made it.”

  “How did he use it?” Drake asked.

  “No one knows,” the voice admitted. “The Dragon God never fought with it, yet instead gave it to his son before the war started.”

  His son… Drake thought. Avolate.

  “Who are you exactly,” Rhey asked understanding Drake’s thoughts.

  “I am one who is to help you,” it answered. “My identity has no meaning but to push you in the right direction. It is the two of you who must find the lone mountain and the prophecy; I can only tell you that.”

  “How is it you know we are the ones to do this?” Drake asked.

  “I know because I know,” it answered. “Now go from this reconstructed memory so that you may start your journey to the answers you must seek.”

  It was a clear dismissal, encouraged by the Dragon God and the Rider Goddess making their way to the surface, so Drake and Rhey stood and followed. They watched, arm in arm, as the first fight between the Dragon God and Asnu broke out. Drake’s heart pumped with a sickening anger that welled up within him he couldn’t control. Rhey gave him a tight squeeze and his mind settled once more. When the Rider Goddess climbed onto the back of the dragon, they watched with gleeful smiles on their faces. It truly was a majestic sight to behold.

  “Wouldn’t it be amazing if you were a dragon?” Rhey asked breathlessly, watching the dragon silently beat its wings as it climbed high over the tree line.

  “Why do I have to be the dragon?” he chuckled.

  “You’re the one who does the protecting silly,” she rolled her eyes in return.