“Mynah!” Antero yells asthe tornado builds and becomes a frenzied, howling storm thatoutgrows the cavern, trailing out of the hole in the ceiling.“Bring me your Ddraig or I kill this boy and come for youmyself!”
My mind blurs the lines betweenpresent and future, reality and imagination as I witness what is tocome. “There you are,” he will announce, drawn to my location bythe strange whiteness that appears in my eyes when my Gwenabilities arise. It is strange to see myself in this vision, togaze upon the empty white space where my pupils and irises shouldbe, twin beacons that glare through the darkness. Then the visionbursts into a blinding flash of fire, and fades, in the end, toashes.
The words pour softly from Antero’smouth exactly as I’d foreseen. But before he can command histornado-like cage to ensnare me, a golden eye opens behind me, longjagged teeth revealed by a sneering pair of lips.
The wind stops immediately when Surycopens his jaws and clamps down on Antero’s body. The force of histeeth jabs through muscle and sinew, spraying blood all over us. Abrilliant yellow fireball rears to life in the space, consuming thebody of the Windwalker and quickly floating out of the cave’smouth. Cyrus falls heavily to the ground as the last screechingscream dies, his breathing labored and shaky.
“Dead—Antero is trulydead, then?” I ask, unable to trust my words. Is it real this time?Death for this boy truly is inevitable, isn’tit? And if Anterois dead, then what did any of my attempts to save him ultimatelyaccomplish? Longer suffering, more hardships, and finally the same endthat I could have given him weeks ago.
“But you wouldn’t have hadme if you’d just killed him when you found him,” Siri answers mythoughts as she appears at the mouth of the tunnels, her eyestrained on Suryc and Cyrus. “It is real this time though, and thatball of fire is a new problem for us.”
“What? You mean Surycdidn’t create it?”
A weary broken sigh escapes from theDdraig. “Nope. You didn’t tell me your Windwalker was aroyal.”
“Well, I didn’t think itmattered, Siri. With everything else we’ve had going on here oflate, the fact that Antero was a royal seemed low on the list ofthings to mention.” I shrug as I examine Cyrus’s wounds. “Your kneelooks rough. Let me—”
“I’ll borrow strength frommy Ddraig,” Cyrus interrupts me stiffly. Within seconds the damagedisappears.
Fine, I huff, facing Siri once more. “What’s the bigdeal?”
“The royal Windwalkers arespelled, protected by magicians’ charms. It’s a safeguard that hasbeen a tradition among the higher courts for centuries. That ballof fire is a memory. It will burn until it returns to the Déchetscastle to stand witness before the king. Everyone in Déchets willsoon know that their prince has died, and that he was murdered bytheir precious ‘weapon of the Piths.’ We’ve just fired the firstshot into war, Iris. We need to expedite your training and get theother Ddraigs bonded to their Cadogans as soon as possible. Trainthem, teach them to protect our lands, and ready them forbattle.”
“Cyrus can fly ahead toalert Cane. You and I can lead the Ddraigs to their location.” Ikneel to be at Cyrus’s side as I give the orders before anyone canprotest. “Find Cane and play nice when you get there. Tell him thatall of the people need to be prepared. Warn him that the Ddraigsare coming. His people need to shed their masks and be ready toshare their true names with us. We are no longer a land of housesand unchosen. Try to make them understand!”
Cyrus huffs as he stands, leaningheavily against Suryc from exhaustion. “Why yes, I’d be happy tobecome your errand boy! I’m surprised you would trust me with suchan important task, given your low opinion of me.” His lips pullaway to bare his teeth in disgust.
“There’s no time forthis!” Siri roars over whatever sarcastic curse I am saying.“Suryc, get away with your Cadogan. Iris, come with me. You need toaddress the other Ddraigs before they will fly with you.” Sirithunders into the tunnels as a shiver of excitement steals over myskin, raising goosebumps as I tremble. Weare meeting more of the Ddraigs, who until now have stayedaway. Cyrus will be gone, so this treat isentirely my own. My feet smack the stoneslike claps of thunder, but I do not stop until I catch up to Siri’sslender, pearly body. Neither of us looks back as Cyrus and Surycsoar out of the Pith cavern.
The air is cooler the deeper we trekinto the tunnels, dampness clinging to my skin with its earthyaroma. Siri’s eyes seem to glow with their metallic sheen, the onlylight emanating in this place. My toes stub on an uneven rock, andthe only thing that keeps my teeth unbroken is the tail of theDdraig. I land on its serpentine form, holding tightly to Siri’sscales as she glides over the ground, allowing my feet to danglebehind me as she moves. Deeper and deeper we travel into the earth,and I notice some small bits of roots hanging from the sides of thetunnels. They brush my body like the very hand of death, eerilysimilar to the feeling of beetles crawling over mylimbs.
The part of me that hates tightlyenclosed spaces suddenly takes offense to my presence in this gravelike space, and my breathing tightens in my chest. My eyes dartfrom side to side, finding no comfort in the dark, rich dirt aroundme. “Si…ri….” I pant her name in time with my heartbeat, everincreasing as my panic sets in.
“Almost there, Iris. Itwill get better in a moment,” the Ddraig calls over her shoulder asshe quickens her pace. My hands quiver so much that I fear I willdrop my hold on Siri’s tail. My eyes clench closed as a wailescapes my lips.
Finally, we reach the Ddraig’s nestingarea. I feel the change in the air pressure before I open my eyes.The hallway’s tight space sighs into an open cavern, large enoughthat I cannot see its vast ceiling. The walls are filled withholey, gaping maws where the Ddraigs have carved out individualbeds.
