Asher glanced back at Faylen and Reyna again, though both had quickly returned to their plans.
“I thought there was no bad blood between you two,” Nathaniel said quietly in Nemir’s absence.
“There isn’t,” Asher confirmed. “Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to break his nose.”
Nathaniel laughed and patted the ranger on the arm. “Come. You can help me with the supplies from the next cart.”
Asher nodded along before looking down at Avandriell. “Next time, don’t announce yourself - just take the leg.”
43
End of the Road
The midday sun struggled to rise much higher than the horizon, and struggled all the more to pierce the thick clouds rolling over The Moonlit Plains. Snow reigned silently over the land, blanketing everything as it removed the finer edges from the world. Looking back over her shoulder, Inara could no longer see the great pines of The Evermoore, the forest nearly two days behind them now.
Instead, she looked upon the many Drakes that walked without complaint through the icy weather. It would have been enough to break the spirits of any, even more so given their final destination, yet Adan’Karth and his kin continued diligently. Inara was both inspired and heartbroken by their march.
Turning back to the south, she could just make out Kassian Kantaris through the snowfall, leading the procession beside Adan. Had she not been astride Athis, there would have been no view but the backs of numerous Drakes. Of course, it helped that Athis was bowed under the weight of his own horns, as he had been since they left The Evermoore.
With every passing hour, Inara could feel the heat leaving his body. When they had set out from Vangarth, the dragon had been near the front, well within range of calling Kassian or Adan. Now, sluggish as he was, Athis had slipped further and further down the line of Drakes. His every step was clearly an effort, his tail simply dragging along the ground behind him.
Inara patted his scales. Keep going, she encouraged. The doorway isn’t far now. We might even reach it by tomorrow’s dawn.
I fear that the next dawn is beyond me, wingless one. Athis’s voice was just as weak as his limbs.
It filled Inara with a cold dread. Do not say that, she rebuffed. You are Athis the ironheart! If you could fly you could be over the pit in a few hours.
But I do not have my wings, Athis pointed out. Soon I will not even be able to rely on my legs.
The sorrow weighing on Inara’s heart kept her mouth closed and her words locked in her mind, beyond even Athis’s reach. She feared the worst was upon them, but how could she voice such a concern? Not when Athis needed her strength - now more than ever. How many times had he pulled her through the darkest of days? How many times had he lent her his strength and seen them both to victory?
But what could she really do? That question echoed in her mind, extinguishing any light of hope. Words alone would not bolster Athis, for magic was dying and it cared little for sentiment.
With so little to offer the dragon, she simply pressed her body to his and stroked his scales.
Time and land slipped by under the relentless snow. Having taken to the road herself now, Inara’s thoughts had been torn between memories of Vighon and Athis. She recalled Kassian joining her at some point, the Keeper in need of sleep himself. He was walking only a few feet in front of Athis, though they were a few hundred feet behind the Drakes.
Inara was instantly struck by the danger posed to the Drakes by her companion’s reduced speed. Looking at Athis, it didn’t take someone well versed in the culture of dragons to see that he was ailing. His blue eyes, absent their vividness, were closed more than open. Where he had recently been able to hold his head up, the hard ridge of his jaw was currently dragging through the snow and mud. Even his claws had lost their smooth motion and now twitched with the strength required of them.
I cannot… I cannot go any further. The dragon’s slow plod had come to an end before his words. His jaw took the full weight of his head until the rest of his body slid to the ground, flat.
Athis! Inara rushed to the side of his head and placed both of her hands over his scales. He was so cold.
I am… not strong enough. You must—
Whatever he said next was hidden from Inara. She reached out across their bond and even plunged into the sanctuary they shared, but Athis’s presence couldn’t even find the strength to inhabit it.
“What’s happening to him?” Kassian asked.
Inara tried to fight back the tears that welled in her eyes. “He’s dying,” she uttered, falling to her knees beside him.
“His aura is beginning to dim,” Adan announced, turning Inara and Kassian back to the south. Behind Adan, every Drake had stopped in their tracks to look upon Athis, as if paying their respects.
It maddened Inara. “He will not die!” she fumed.
Adan’Karth simply bowed his head, his hands folded within his voluminous sleeves.
Inara ignored the Drake and returned her attention to Athis, finding one of his large eyes. “Fight it,” she urged, relying on his hearing instead of their bond. “You have to fight it. For me.”
“Inara.” Kassian’s voice was as soft as the falling snow.
With an outstretched hand she kept him and his words at bay, refusing to take her gaze from Athis. “This isn’t how Athis the ironheart dies,” she declared, though her voice lacked the conviction. “You are a hero,” she continued. “A warrior without compare. With tooth and claw you have saved the realm. You’ve bled for it. The realm still needs you. I
