Chapter 36

Thirty-Six

Two days.We’d wandered through this muck for two whole days, and I didn’t see an end in sight. I knew Jake was frustrated, we all were, and desperately missing the sun. Still, we were also determined to find the source and end this once and for all. The absence of light made it hard to tell what time it was. My pocket watch insisted on it being late afternoon, but it felt like midnight.

Jake rode on top of the wagon with me, although I drove, spelling one of the knights so she could rest. Jake glared forward. No other word for it. It initially looked like an intense stare, but it had a weight of “I’ll find this or die trying” to it.

With no segue, Jake grumbled, “Tell me again why previous holy maidens didn’t find the source?”

“No one’s gone in this far. They didn’t know about the flowers or potatoes, I guess, as the records don’t mention any plants that gave off divine power. The records said that they got about four- or five-hours’ travel time inside and had to turn back because no one but the holy maiden could breathe.”

“Ugh. That explains it. We’re barely getting by with the flowers.”

“I know.” I cast a worried glance back at the plants behind me, riding along in the wagon bed. The bush looked very picked over after two days of making flower crowns. Jake had sung several times to augment the flowers, but he could only do so much. I didn’t think we had enough to continue for more than another day or so, to be honest, before we had to go back. Even the tonics and potato food we’d brought couldn’t protect us from miasma, just cure the ailment after the fact. Which was less than desirable for obvious reasons. We weren’t even trying to use rope to lead us back at this point, we were betting on the wolves navigating us home again.

Still, we kept trudging forward. Over hills and rises, through valleys, along riverbeds until we could find a point to cross. All of us wanted this nightmare to be over. I also didn’t want Jake to be chained to this madness for the rest of our lives. I never wanted that for him.

Riding alongside on his horse, my father suddenly said, “Huh.”

Now, anyone who knew my father would tell you, when he made that sound it could be really good or really bad. There was no in between. It was with due caution that I asked, “What?”

“There’s paths in the miasma.”

“The hell there are.” Jake abruptly sat forward, peering even more intently. “I see nothing. You sure?”

Dad’s finger traced a pattern back and forth, and while I didn’t see it either, he clearly did. “It’s there. Very faint, almost imperceptible. Now, the question is, do we trust the path I see?”

Grandma Haera snorted from her wagon seat. “Sure, trust the evil miasma to lead you in. That can’t go wrong.”

Jake snickered. Then again, he and Grandma had the same sense of humor.

Dad and I shared a glance. Personally, I didn’t see any real option but to try it. We were heading straight in that direction anyway. One way or another, we needed to know what was in there.

“I’m going to try it.” Dad put heels to sides, urging his horse into a trot.

Mom lifted up enough to call after him, “If you make me a widow, I’ll raise you just to kill you again!”

Such a loving relationship my parents had. Truly tear inducing.

Dad wasn’t fifteen yards ahead when he got abruptly swallowed up by the miasma. Which was unnerving in multiple ways as we’d be right there in a few seconds ourselves. Nothing had gone wrong, I hoped…?

In a second flat, my father, horse and all, appeared right next to me. Like he’d teleported to our side, which I knew for a fact wasn’t possible.

I immediately threw up a hand, signaling everyone to stop. “Dad?”

He looked as bewildered as I felt. “I have no idea what just happened.”

Jake’s hand rested on my knee, using it as a balancing point as he leaned around me. “Did something teleport you back to us?”

“I…think so? I was following that path I saw in the mist, then I lost it for a second, and when I turned to pick it back up, I found myself here again.”

“Huh.” Jake sat on that for two seconds before abruptly hopping off the wagon. “Let’s try this again. Walking this time.”

I didn’t like the idea of my father going in. I liked the idea of my fiancé going in with him even less. Still, of everyone here, Jake had the highest chance of survival. He was definitely the strongest of everyone.

I bit my tongue and watched as they went, Jake staying right in step with my father, following that trail through the miasma that only Dad could seem to see.

“Huh.”

I turned my head to see Gren right beside the passenger seat of the wagon, also staring hard.

“I think I see it,” he said to me, eyes nearly narrowed into slits. “Damn, your father has good ideas.”

“He always has. But you can see it?”

“It’s like this swirling wind path blowing through the miasma. I’d bet you that whatever lies at the center erected this path as a way to protect itself. I’ve seen something similar before.”

A blink, and my father and Jake were once again standing right next to the wagon, looking at first bewildered and then frustrated.

“Teleported back again!” Jake bared his teeth at the miasma.

“But we got farther in that time.” Dad inclined his head toward Jake. “Your eyes spotted what I’d missed. I think this is the way in. Anyone trying to just forge ahead is going to be sent right back here.”

“What is this?” Jake muttered under his breath. “The fucking Korok Forest path?” Jake ran a hand over his face, expression resigned. “I’m afraid you’re right. Okay, third time’s the charm. Right?”

“If you say so.” Dad shrugged and followed him in.

This time, Gren went with them. I did think another set of eyes might help, especially as Gren was the only other person in this party who could see what the other two had. I watched anxiously as they disappeared into the miasma once more, then found myself counting the seconds in my head. It felt like a decade oozed by, but really, it was more like ten minutes before Jake abruptly came back.

I expected frustration, but instead he seemed excited. But where were my father and Gren?

Mom abruptly moved halfway out of the wagon. “Jake, where’s the other two?”

He waved a hand at her. “Calm down, Mom. They’re both good. I deliberately came back the short route. We found it! The origin of the miasma.”

For a moment, I doubted my ears. “You found it?”

“Yup! It’s too cool to spoil, so come see for yourself.” Raising his voice and a hand, Jake called, “Everyone, follow me right on my trail. Don’t deviate, otherwise you’ll be sent back to this spot.”

I, of course, would never suspect Jake of leading me astray. I trusted this man with my life. Still, my heart pounded loudly in my ears from anxiety as I followed him closely through those swirling mists.

The second I passed that disappearing point, I begin to see what the other three had followed. There was a path here, a sort of lighter purple that swirled and danced between the miasma. Like a wind sprite would move through fog. Fascinating, and it did disappear for a second here and there. Whenever it did, Jake stopped abruptly, waiting for it to appear once more before following it. Apparently that was the trick, to not blaze ahead, but instead wait for guidance.

It still felt like it took forever, and I could feel my hands sweating around the reins because I did not like this one bit. Only my trust in Jake and his excitement drove me forward. I wouldn’t do this again, though; my nerves could only take so much.

Between one blink and the next, the miasma just…stopped. Like I’d entered a clearing. Which had to be the strangest thing I’d ever seen because I’d never seen miasma act like this before and—holy shit!

There, lying on its side, was the massive skeletal remains of a dragon. Easily larger than any other animal I’d seen except a whale. Actually, it might well have rivaled a whale in its size. The wings alone stretched out in every direction.

“Oh good, you did get them in.” Dad waved us forward, grinning from ear to ear. It was the boyish grin he wore when he’d found something too amazing to not share. “Everyone, come in closer. You’re not going to believe this. There’re dragon eggs here!”

There were what?!

Dragons, as far as I knew, had gone extinct centuries ago. But there was more than a dragon skeleton here? There was an actual cache of eggs? Now this I wanted to see.

I tethered the reins to the wagon and hopped lightly down before loping closer to get a look for myself. The ground crunched under my feet, the land so dry and without any vegetation that it felt more like shells. Or perhaps slate. At least I could breathe easily here, though.

There, in the curve of the dragon’s tail, lay four very large eggs. Something of a nest had been around them—I saw the remnants of it—but whatever dried grass and such the mother dragon had created a nest with was long gone. Little better than dust now. I leaned in closer, carefully not touching, examining the eggs. They seemed to be larger than an ostrich egg and likely weighed a good stone altogether. The surfaces were a dull creamy color with pockmarks. I didn’t see a single crack in the eggs, which was remarkable considering how long they had been lying about here, exposed to the elements.

Everyone else crowded in, getting their own look.

I heard someone ask—not sure who— “Sooo…what? The miasma is here to protect the eggs?”

Leaning back, I looked the situation over. The miasma was indeed coming from the skeleton, forming a ring around the nest, and it couldn’t be any clearer.

“I would say it’s doing exactly that.” I let my head flop back on my shoulders, feeling the weight of decades’ worth of work abruptly settle in an almost crushing way. “Gods. We’ve been suffering from the miasma for this long and it was only meant as a defensive measure.”

Jake put a comforting hand at the small of my back. “Look at the bright side. It’s not a demon lord.”

I gave my fiancé a long look. “Uh. Was that a possibility?”

“It’s on my bingo card, all I’m saying.” Jake gave me a playful wink.

This man, seriously. I never knew where his mind went.

Taking a step back, Jake surveyed the area with a pan of his head. He bit at his lip, like he was thinking hard and not sure what the conclusion should be.

“Ummm…so what now?”

That was the question, wasn’t it? For all that I could see the source and reason for the miasma, I didn’t see an obvious solution.

What did we do now?