If I hadn’t been his adopted daughter, I’m certain I would have been frightened.
“Forgotten you? Dragons only forget when it is convenient to do so. You should know this.”
I smiled. “You’re right. But I’m still glad you came.” I stepped away from the massive plume of golden spikes rimming his face as he ducked his head.
“I’ve grown quite lonely since you left.”
“A whole cave full of dragons, and you’re lonely?”
“Dragons don’t understand the mechanics of conversation as well as you do.” His smile revealed rows of pointed teeth. “You’ve grown quite a bit.”
“So have you.”
He laughed. It felt good to hear his laugh. “I’ve grown fat on pigs and sheep. The elven plantation masters are ready to have my head on a spike. I may have to burn a village soon to keep them in order.”
“I’m sure you will.” In my entire life, I’d never seen him burn a village. “And I thought you were vegetarian.”
He chuckled. “I thought I might mislead you. But you are too clever for my jokes. You haven’t changed. I still prefer a great leafy tree to a fat pig. I suppose I haven’t changed, either.”
He had no idea how relieved I was to hear those words. I grabbed a ridge on his back and scooted between two spines. The fit was a bit tighter than I remembered.
Fan’twar turned his head to stare at me. “You haven’t told me why you’ve come.”
“Trouble,” I replied. “My godson is under some sort of spell. I suspect dark magic.”
“It is unusual for Faythander magic to reach into Earth Kingdom.”
“I know. I have to find out what’s causing it. I have to stop it.”
He cocked his head. “This is not the first I’ve heard of the strange dark magic.”
“What do you mean?”
“The dragon herds on the outer islands have been under attack.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Who’s attacking them?”
He shook his massive head. A low growl rumbled through his chest. “They are creatures of dark magic, though I do not know more. I plan to travel to the outer islands soon, but first, I will help you.”
“Thank you, Fan’twar.”
Fan’twar nodded and stretched his neck into the air. He spread his wings, took a leap, and plunged off the cliff. My stomach plunged with him.
Chapter 7
Faythander unfolded below me like a huge map painted in brilliant colors. I’d forgotten how breathtaking this place could be. It resembled Earth, but at a closer glance, the trees grew taller, and the plants bloomed with magic, making them glow in a myriad of colors.
Almost paradise. The picture on that brochure Mom had pawned off on me didn’t hold a candle to this place. It made me wonder why I’d ever left Faythander. And then I remembered how I’d wanted to be human and to live like everyone else.
The sky king’s mountains loomed ahead—huge, jagged cliffs along the horizon. The sheer rock face of the mountains rose steeper than anything Mt. Everest could boast.
Seeking an audience with the sky king meant risking your life. Most people turned around halfway through the climb. By then, they’d already figured out how to settle their dispute, figuring it couldn’t be any harder than climbing the cliffs for an audience with the king. Those who reached his chamber had a very good reason to be there. And usually, he helped.
The cliffs jutted out, and I saw the gray overhang that marked the entrance to the sky king’s chamber. He dove toward it. Gritting my teeth, I kept my hands clamped around the spike. I’d never fallen before, but I couldn’t help imagining sliding off.
Not soon enough, Fan’twar’s massive, clawed feet connected with the cavern’s floor. Sounds of whooshing wings echoed through the chamber as dragons flew inside to greet him.
A long time ago, before most races remember, the dragons had been a dying breed. I’d heard that Fan’twar had united the dragons and taken control of the entire continent of Faythander. He’d ruled ever since as the sky king.
After dismounting, I tried to keep my stomach from losing its lunch and followed Fan’twar to the main cavern.
Memories flooded back as I stared from one cavern to the next. My old bedroom was to the left. The dragons had decorated it as best as they could. They’d found discarded items from Earth—Styrofoam plates, running shoes, picture frames—and pinned them to the walls. Glancing inside my bedroom, I saw that it hadn’t changed.
I continued to follow Fan’twar through the cavern. Other dragons milled about. Blue water dragons, a couple of sun dragons, and a whole herd of green landwalkers gathered.
A sense of awe overcame me as I entered the sky king’s chamber. I’d lived here half my life, and still, it impressed me.
Azure-blue crystals grew from the walls and floor. Some of them grew taller than trees. They sang with a faint hum. True Faythander magic radiated from the crystals. Their power swelled inside me and rejuvenated my own magic.
At the center of the room rose a circular, silver dais. Water flowed around it like a miniature moat. Melimars swam through it, looking like small mermaids with corn-silk hair. I’d spent hours here as a child, talking to the melimars, wondering what it would be like to swim all day.
Crystals, growing in the form of a chandelier, hung over the dais. Magic rushed through the spires with bursts of lightning.
The sky king slid onto the dais and collapsed, shaking the ground around him. A ledge jutted out around the dais, so I leapt across the small stream and took a seat near Fan’twar on the rock’s edge. Several melimars darted through the water beneath us. Droplets of water sprayed my skin as Fan’twar playfully flicked his tail at the creatures. He heaved a great sigh as he turned to me.
“Time passes quickly, Olive. I’m glad you’ve come, though you smell distinctly human.”
“I am human.”
“Half.”
“Half.” I sighed. He had to remind me.
“Your father asks about you.
