Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

S tanding on the terrace, Tiara shuddered at Jaxxon’s words that an evil existed on Crelentia. I can’t imagine what lurks in the darkness. And what’s its appetite? Her amulet blazed brighter as she strained her eyes to see why it had led her and Jaxxon onto his terrace.

“Argh!—Ouch! Ouch!” Her arms began itching furiously. Scratching, she looked at Jaxxon and he stepped forward.

“Tiara, what’s wrong?” His brow furrowed as his shadows closed around her.

She couldn’t respond as she looked down at the blotches of dry skin on her arms. They itched more than ever before. Her entire body shivered. Scratching at her arms, her nails tore into her skin. Rivulets of light flowed where blood should have run instead. She cried out as the blotches expanded like a wave across her arm, rising to her exposed neckline as more light coursed to her neck.

Her eyes poured into Jaxxon’s as he tried to grab her hands and stop her from tearing into her skin. He was shouting questions at her, but she couldn’t quite hear him or focus on his words. She swallowed a scream as she looked up at the sky.

Something was coming. And it was coming fast .

“Jaxx, watch out!” she yelled, but the words had barely left her lips before a dark shadow swept across the terrace.

Giant wings struck, knocking him backward. Before she could react, talons the size of her legs clamped around her waist. She screamed as the dragon bellowed a deep, guttural roar that seemed to shake the entire mountainside. One pump of its enormous black wings was all it took to propel them into the air, flying through the mountains. She screamed as it flew faster.

The air whipped at her face when the dragon dipped, heading toward the ground as it roared. She cried out in panic. Her heart pounded as the tree line got so close that she feared she’d be ripped to shreds within them. At the last minute, the dragon banked west, flapping its wings twice and soaring effortlessly through the mountain range.

The dragon’s wings cut through the night, each flap stirring the magical mists over the mountains. The land below was a swirling blur of jagged peaks and valleys. Then, the dragon began circling back.

Struggling to break free, her legs dangled, kicking at the empty air as she looked down. Tiara squinted, seeing something coming. She craned her neck to see what was moving in the darkness. And then she saw it. Another dragon was coming from below at breakneck speed.

“No!” she yelled as the dragon rammed into the first, sending both dragons crashing into the mountainside. Talons tightened around her as rocks tumbled from the impact. The other dragon tried to rip her from the first dragon’s claws. She curled into a ball. The sharp talons of the second dragon barely missed her. She was thankful they were still in the air and not plummeting as the dragons fought viciously. The dragons snapped at each other as they flew upward in a spiraling pattern.

“Kylo, put her down!” Jaxxon’s voice rang out, faint but fierce. She twisted her head, spotting him below. He was running, leaping from one terrace to another at an astonishing and dangerous pace.

“Hold on, Tiara! I’ll find you...” His voice was fading as they got farther away. Within seconds, the dragons had flown so high that she couldn’t hear Jaxxon’s pleas.

She beat at the thick talons, wishing for death from a fall rather than either of the dragon’s jaws. The two dragons twisted and snapped at each other, their roars filling the night. Tiara’s stomach churned as her head spun, but fear and adrenaline kept her eyes focused on the ensuing fight.

The dragon holding her opened its mouth, unleashing a torrent of fire. But it wasn’t like any fire she’d ever seen before. A violet blast of shadows hit the other dragon’s wings. It roared in either pain or anger but didn’t return the fire as it looked directly at her. She knew the return fire would have hit her full blast.

The second dragon moved off, following them as the first dragon blew more fire into the sky. It was mesmerizing. The violet-hued flames of shadows lit the magical mists into starbursts over the Villagio Mystic Mountains.

As they circled back, they dipped low. Rows of armed men appeared on the terraces with looks of alarm. Tiara saw Zade frantically shouting for someone named Galan to stop fighting before he turned and ran back into the fortress.

The mists around the mountains were majestic. She saw caverns bathed in soft luminescence. The beautiful landscape was a place of danger and wonder. As the dragons roared and their flames lit up the sky, she couldn’t help but feel a thrill of exhilaration course through her.

The wind whipped at Tiara’s skirt as the dragon’s talons held her tight around her waist. Her shoes were long gone, as was the ribbon that once held her ponytail in place. Her hair hung loose, pooling around her breasts as they soared through the air. She held her hands out wide, her palms spreading open as she allowed her elemental magic to shine a light on where they were going.

The dragon flew through the mountain range, picking up speed, weaving in and out, sometimes nearly on its side as it went through sections where the mountains came close together before flying east. Each time it roared, more dragons launched from the mountain caverns. It was as if it was calling to them.

Banking north, the army of dragons began to reach altitude.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Tiara screamed as they flew straight up. The twin ice moons of Crelentia seemed to blink as the dragons soared closer. They were headed into the outer atmosphere. If this was her last moment, it was one of sheer beauty. She was among the starlit skies. She was starlight.

Before entering the Crelentian airspace, the dragons banked in a deep freefall, heading straight down to the ground. Most would have closed their eyes, but not her. An accomplished hang glider, she’d jumped from the highest peaks on the mining colony. And she’d rappelled down the deepest mining caves. A natural daredevil, the adrenaline rush was the best high she’d ever experienced. If it were her last, she’d enjoy it.

Her elemental magic wrapped around her, forming a shield of protection as they continued their free fall. Suddenly, the mountaintop came into view where a web of caverns appeared. The dragons pivoted, flying into the largest cavern like a well-trained aerial force.

It was magical. Stalagmites and crystals shimmered in varying sizes from the ceilings. Large columns of stone were dotted with glimmering jewels. The scales on the dragons rippled as they flew through the cavern. Water flowed in areas where strange flora grew. All within the giant mystic mountains. The dragon’s lair.

Tiara’s feet hit the ground softly, momentarily surprising her, given how fast they had flown into the lair. But she didn’t waste a moment—immediately running back toward where they had entered. Roars came from every direction as more dragons landed, blocking her escape. She screamed and turned around, already knowing who was behind her. She faced the terrifying dragon who took her.

He was black with iridescent violet scales and streaks of silver in a pattern that seemed familiar to her but she couldn’t quite place. Large horns rose from his head, ending in sharp spikes that looked like they could shred metal. His black talons clicked on the ground as he stepped forward, his wings unfurling like the masts on a giant ship preparing to cast out to sea.

His wings were magnificent, each ending with claws. She moved to the right, but he blocked her with his wing. As she swiveled to the left, he moved another wing to cage her. He lowered his head, watching her with enormous, slitted eyes filled with radiant violet irises.

More dragons peered over his shoulder then shied away as he roared again. His large wing swept brutally to the side, knocking back more dragons that tried to get a look at her. He bared his teeth as the second dragon, equal in size, lumbered in from the right, knocking into him. They pushed and shoved, just as they had done when they fought over her in the skies.

Tiara couldn’t figure out which of the two was the leader of the dragons. They were both aggressive as they snapped at each other. The other dragons moved out of their way. While they shoved for dominance, they kept their sharp eyes on her, leaving no opportunity for her to get away.

Twitching, she felt like a toy with a broken circuit as she shifted back and forth. It was the worst time to have the biggest allergic reaction she’d ever experienced. Scratching didn’t help, and she prayed the light running through her veins didn’t make her appear more delicious to the dragons surrounding her.

“Stop fidgeting! You’re making the dragons nervous,” said the black dragon as the violet streaks on his horns seemed to shimmer.

“Making you nervous?” She blinked. “Wait—you can talk?”

The dragons all laughed as the black dragon hushed them.

“I’m Kylo, a Celestial dragon. We’ve waited a lifetime for you, Tiara Adisi.”

“Welcome to Crelentia,” said the other giant dragon, barging forward as Kylo roared at him to stay back. “I’m Galan,” said the dragon before snarling back. Galan’s barbed tail was shaped like twin axes, while Kylo’s was like a hammer with spikes. They both looked like they could tear a hole in the universe.

“We can communicate with you because you are a Crelentian,” said Kylo, shoving Galan to the side.

The dragons snapped at each other and then at the other dragons as they crowded into them once again. They pushed and shoved until a flurry of wings and claws and growls and snarls filled the vast space.

Leaning forward, her arms tight, she sprinted through the opening, running beneath Kylo’s legs. But he brought down his enormous tail, catching her like a net, twirling around her easily before pushing her back to the spot she had just left. The spikes on his tail continued along the length of his spine. Each was tipped with violet scales that radiated the light.

He roared, his nostrils flaring as he lowered his head directly in front of her. His violet eyes raged, more brilliant than before.

She swallowed, forcing herself to look boldly into his eyes. “Look, I’m sorry you waited such a long time. But I’m not as tasty as I look. So...if you wouldn’t mind, I’ll just get right out of your way so you can find something more delicious.”

He laughed heartily. “Jaxxon didn’t tell me you were so funny!”

She scrunched her brow, frowning as she looked closely at Kylo and Galan. “Hey! I saw both of you from the spaceship. You opened a...a giant portal!” She was thankful she wasn’t losing her mind. “How did you do that?”

“Celestial dragons can fly in space. And some, like Galan and I, can open portals. We are the first line of defense for the planet, and we help Crelentians travel the galaxy to trade,” said Kylo as he looked up to the sky. “We’re linked to our dragon riders, Jaxxon and Zade.”

And then he laughed. “And we are not going to eat you.”

“I knew Jaxx and Zade were keeping secrets from me!” she shouted, her alarm rising. What other secrets did they have? Was she in danger? Her elemental magic shimmered around her. The itching was so bad she couldn’t think .

“Calm down, we’re not going to harm you,” said Galan, stepping forward.

But Kylo huffed, pushing him back. “You’re frightening her,” he said, growling at Galan. Again, the dragons sparred.

“What...what is happening to me?” Tiara yelled as the blotches on her skin began to take shape. She raised her hands, looking at her arms as exotic patterns of light became visible. “Please, what’s happening?” she shouted.

“You are a dragon rider,” said Kylo as he opened his mouth.

Tiara screamed as the violet fire rose in his throat, aimed directly at her. Throwing her hands in the air to shield herself didn’t help. The flames poured over her in waves, igniting the light coursing through her veins.

She was on fire.