I wish I had that answer, I really do, Siri whispers, our connection wrapping around me in what can only be described as a mental hug. I feel her sympathy settle on my shoulders like a warm blanket, willing the demons out of my head. Some memories never leave us, Siri murmurs with a sigh, and I wonder what dark moments from her past now parade through her mind. I think they serve as reminders so that when we are put in those situations again, we can be wiser in our choices.
“Gods help us if another predator like Creeper ever shows up in my way again. I’d make the same choice that I did with him, damn the consequences!” I grumble, turning my eyes to the land flying by underneath us, losing myself in the majesty of flight. Every dry blade of grass and each gnarled tree limb that grasps and claws toward the heavens gets my attention. Anything to distract me from focusing on Siri’s soft whisper, I know.
“Iris, I think you should consider moving on from this land,” Lerual whispers, unfazed by my bad attitude and silence. Her lithe green form flits back and forth in the air, constantly searching for movement on the ground. “We still have nearly half of the Ddraigs that are missing their warriors, and we can’t keep hoping they’ll pass through our midst on their own. We need to go somewhere else to get them.”
“I agree, but that raises a lot of problems for us too.” I explain, trying hard to curb my annoyance. “The nomads are fumbling through their attempts to ride their Ddraigs. Despite Drake and Ekard’s best efforts, they are not improving.” That thought brings a smile to my lips; I take great satisfaction in watching Drake flounder with the nomad Cadogans. Petty though it is, I feel justified every time the nomads cannot do what Drake and Ekard command. In some strange way, it makes me feel powerful, needed, and secure in my place as the leader. “The nomads won’t fly with me, Lerual. They do not think of me as their leader. And since I can’t even find out from them who they do follow as the commander among their ranks, I’m stuck!”
Siri butts in before Lerual can respond to my frustrations. “The nomads don’t trust anyone, Iris. Not even their Ddraigs, and that’s the real problem here,” she interjects with a snort. “I think we should tell the Ddraigs to carry their warriors in their claws and get moving….” Siri’s voice fades off, her head turning sharply. Her eyes dart back and forth along the ground as though she is searching for someone who’s just called her name.
“Siri’s right,” Lerual agrees, soaring close to me as she adds, “We can always return to the Pith and train the new Cadogans in the safety of our nests.”
“NO!” Siri howls, her wings freezing up, her body plunging toward the earth in shock.
“Siri! What’s wrong! SIRI!” My voice barely carries on the hurricane winds whipping around me as I try to cling to my Ddraig’s back. I feel like my knees are iron vices gripping a heavy block of ore that’s too wide. If you don’t get control, Siri, I’m going to fly off your back! Snap out of it!
Siri pumps her ethereal wings, immediately halting our plummet toward the earth. The breath wheezes out of my lungs like I’ve just slammed into stone.
“What happened? Siri?” Lerual cries as she circles over us, her sharp eyes searching for any signs of danger.
“Iris, we don’t have a choice!” Siri wails, her voice shrill as she shifts her tail, angling us back toward camp. “We’re going to the House of Vultures. Cyrus needs you. Right now!” The briefest flash of images drift through my mind, but I cannot make sense of what I see. Cyrus’s face looks years older, hollows etching out space under his eyes. His clothes are bloody and clinging to his thin frame. Stranger still, I see myself lying in a pool of blood at his feet. A strange smile grows wide on my lips, and I think I see my hands twitching to life once more. Yet before I can see anything else, a veil snaps into place between Siri’s mind and my own. Cloud patterns drift across the sky in my thoughts. The abrupt change in our connection is jarring, and with it, I feel a new level of dread. What could make Siri so frightened that she cannot show me?
“Siri, what’s wrong?” I plead, brushing my fingers along her milky white scales in reassurance. “What did I just see?”
“Vibría,” Siri whispers, her eyes as wild as a deer that senses a predator is near. Lerual whimpers at the word, shaking her head in her terror.
“What’s a Vibría?” I question lamely, wishing I could do more than bring more agony to my Ddraig by asking questions. “I’m sorry, but I need to understand, Siri. Help me—”
“I thought they were all dead.” Lerual’s voice trembles, her eyes turning hopeful as she waits for Siri to respond. “Surely by now, after all this time….”
“The Vibría are an abomination,” Siri sniffs, hovering over our campsite. I assume that by staying in the air, she’s trying to keep our conversation away from the others who are milling around the campsite. “Another thread of Déchets’ cruelty.” Siri shakes her head, large tears welling in her eyes. They gush toward the ground, drenching any and all creatures who are unlucky enough to be below my Ddraig as she cries. Her words dry up with her grief, and my heart aches as I wish I could take whatever sorrow she feels away from her.
“The land over the Devil’s Spine once had Ddraigs too, Iris.” Lerual’s thin voice barely reaches me, but in her words, I can hear the torture of unspent grief. “It’s been
