“I saw Celebrant, the Dragon King,” Seth said. “In his human form.”
“He has come to lead the assault,” the man said. “The giants have set themselves up for a disaster with the way this sanctuary has been run. I’m not sure Celebrant could have garnered the support he needed for this war without the ability to cite the conditions here.”
“With respect, how do you know so much?” Merek asked. “Who are you?”
“Perhaps I am wrong,” the man said. “You be the judge. I have filled many roles in my days. For now, you may call me the Traveler.”
“Thanks for your help, Traveler,” Seth said. “That lightning could have killed me.”
“Had you been left exposed to the storm, it might have,” the Traveler said.
“This tea really helped,” Seth said.
“It’s a specialty of mine,” the Traveler said. “I should not consume more time. You ran through this storm because you have places to be. Turn your backs to me if you want wings.”
Seth turned away from the Traveler. Merek did likewise.
Seth felt strong fingers examining his back; then the side of a hand pressed beside his shoulder blade, followed by similar pressure near the other one. For a painful moment, Seth felt something taking root in his back, twining with his muscles. Then, as easily as moving his hands, he flexed and stretched his wings. They spanned quite a bit broader than the reach of his outspread arms and had golden feathers.
“This feels weirdly natural,” Seth said.
“Almost like you were born with them,” the Traveler said.
Merek flapped his wings harder than Seth had attempted, blowing air and campfire smoke around the stone enclosure. “This is unbelievable,” Merek said. “What a gift!”
Seth noticed the Unforgiving Blade on the ground and picked it up.
“That is quite a weapon,” the Traveler commented. “Take care where you keep it and how you use it.”
“I’ll do my best,” Seth said.
“Blades such as that one have a history of harming the wielder,” the Traveler said. “If you’ll take my advice, try not to carry it longer than necessary.”
“A wise sentiment,” Merek said. “At present the weapon is a necessity.”
“Remember, with those wings, courage is key,” the Traveler said. “Now, open so our guests may depart, my wandering friends.”
One side of the dome collapsed, and the rocks slid out of the way. The storm immediately clamored louder, rain pelting down amid harsh flashes of lightning and stunning bursts of thunder. The wind roared with a volume Seth had never imagined.
“Do you know where to go?” Seth asked Merek.
“Yes,” Merek replied. “Stay with me. Traveler, we are in your debt.”
“You are, perhaps, Dragon Slayer,” the Traveler said. “I will always owe Seth. Fly well.”
Merek stepped into the downpour and jumped, wings beating down to propel him up into the wild night. For a moment, Seth stared up at the dark fury of the Perennial Storm, watching jagged tangles of lightning backlight the rain and highlight the clouds. With a running start, he sprang from the relative warmth of the protective dome into the icy pandemonium of the tempest. His wings flapped hard as Seth ascended behind and beneath Merek, adapting to the punishing winds.
The wings did not feel like a contraption he was wearing. They sprouted out of his back as though part of him, and they functioned instinctively, as if he had flown in savage weather for years. Rising through the chilling rain, Seth and Merek promptly became soaked, but even with the wind stripping away his heat, Seth didn’t go numb. The exercise of flapping his wings generated a surprising amount of warmth.
Soon lightning blazed not just above them, but to the sides, and even beneath them. Most of the electric discharges were brilliant variations on yellow, white, and orange, but a startling amount also flared green or light blue, and a few deepened into vivid shades of red or purple. A cannonade of thunder accompanied the intense lightning, but Seth did not find the blasts as deafening as before he had his wings.
The lightning made it relatively easy for Seth to track Merek, and, between flashes, Merek’s wings shed enough light of their own that Seth could glimpse them through the deluge. Seth felt less buffeted than when he had flown in the talons of Basirus ahead of the storm. The wind currents were stronger and wilder here in the heart of the tempest, but Seth’s wings reacted magnificently—tucking, extending, angling, and folding into unique shapes to help him make swift progress in whatever direction he chose.
As the winged duo gained altitude, flying near the base of the storm clouds, Seth became aware of great birds of prey with wingspans the size of hang gliders. The dark raptors soared sedately through the turmoil, wings fully extended, three on one side of Seth and two beyond Merek.
Dazzling stabs of colorful lightning increased in both frequency and proximity after the birds arrived. Seth felt a charge in the air a moment before lightning shot through his wings, through Merek’s wings, and into one of the thunderbirds off to the side. Seth felt some of the heat from the brilliant flash and smelled ozone afterward, but he didn’t experience an electric shock.
The surprise of the brightness and the heat, coupled with the immediate detonation of thunder, startled Seth enough that his wings faltered. The sensation of his wings failing compounded his fear, and he went into a free fall.
“Courage, Seth!” Calvin called. “You can do it!”
Clenching his fists, Seth deliberately mustered his courage and swooped upward again. Merek had plunged to help Seth, but once they both flew evenly, he tried some evasive maneuvers. Though he spiraled and swerved, the thunderbirds stayed with them.
Seth held the Unforgiving Blade ready in case the huge raptors decided to attack. Another electric charge built up around Seth, and a second lightning bolt crackled through his wings. After a third blast of lightning caused no real harm, the thunderbirds seemed to lose interest, and they
