They were so far to the North now that the mountains on their path were snow capped and slippery. Until now, Eya wore her cotton nightgown for comfort in the Summer heat. Fortunately for her, Rhin packed her leather armor before running off to aid her escape. Daijah still felt convinced that the Kandumes would pursue them wherever they were in Hicares. So, everyone kept their weapons ready. Eya had her bow and shortsword, Rhin and Hat had their daggers, and Daijah had his broadsword. Cefa only had her staff, not all that useful for fighting but might become necessary if someone became severely hurt. Only Terald carried no equipment. So, instead he took on the burden of lugging supplies.
Up here, Eya could see snow blossoms still sprouting. It was hard to imagine that Summer had come to Hicares. Rhin promised that they would feel the heat soon enough. Lava-spewing volcanoes would replace the icy peaks they traveled over now. Eya grew up hearing about this area of the Land Bridge and had always felt frightened of it. There was an ashy wasteland on the Southern side, which was where most preferred to travel through. On the Northern side, the volcanoes rumbled, and the only escape was to dive into the Ocean of Ice caressing its border.
"Just because there are active volcanoes doesn't mean we will be dodging rivers of lava," Rhin explained. "They only erupt once every fifty years. Most of the time, they just let out smoke."
"How long has it been since they last erupted?" Eya asked.
"Only about forty," Rhin answered. "We'll be fine."
Eya wanted to believe him, but not very much had gone right during this escape. In fact, the only positive thing to have happened since her escape was that she and Daijah were once again together, more than they ever had been before.
There was still the matter of her destiny. The little snippets she learned from the daughters of Wilsa and Nakta did little to help her find her way, though she was grateful that it was now clear she didn't need to become a world-destroying monster as the first tome predicted. However, she had no direction other than the seat of his power might be as small as a gemstone. She'd discussed it with Cefa, who only responded that she would have destroyed it long ago if she'd known where it was.
"If it could be as small as a gemstone," Eya asked after a long stretch of time spent silently walking. "What could it be as big as?"
"What do you mean?" Cefa asked from her perch on Daijah's back.
"Meraz said it couldn't be as big as a country like Pescel because that would be too unfocused," Eya explained.
"That's a good point," Cefa responded and considered it for a few minutes. "I suppose it could be something roughly the size of a person Daijah's size and still keep its shape."
"Shape? I never thought of magic having a shape."
"It's not a liquid or gas, Eya," Cefa tutted. "It has its own shape. Pecu's is the shape of a serpent."
"Oh," Eya responded. "Does magic take the shape of its owner?"
"No, no. Pecu isn't a serpent himself. He's so beautiful. I can't even describe him to you. For gods, our heart is the source of our magic. His has the shape of a serpent."
"What's the shape of yours?" Eya asked.
"A star," Cefa answered, her voice growing wistful as her mind lingered on what she could no longer have.
"That's so perfect for you." Eya sighed. "I hope I can get it back for you."
"It doesn't matter if you do," Cefa said, shaking her head. "I came to peace with the idea of dying long ago. I would rather be more like the people I've lived among over the centuries than the gods who did this to me."
"Well, not all the gods. Just Pecu, right?"
"It wasn't Pecu's idea to keep my sisters sequestered to their corners of Telverin," Cefa answered. "The other gods were frightened of what the five of us could manage together. Jokes on them, though. If we had been allowed to live freely, we could have stopped Pecu before he threw the others into the nothingness."
"Nothingness?" Eya gasped. "I know. I have so many questions. I'll stop."
"Questions are normal, but I'm not sure I can explain it better than that." Cefa shrugged. "The nothingness is the nothingness. Anything is better than that."
"Did they die?" Eya inquired.
"They probably wish they had," Cefa answered, her eyes on the distance soon lighting up. "I see smoke!"
"Thought it was getting warmer," Daijah replied.
"That's just me breaking wind," Cefa said with a cackle, and Daijah groaned.
"We'll stop here," Hat said, setting down the bags he carried the last leg of their trip that day, after noticing the strain it was taking on Terald. "Sun's about to set. We'll need to scale down this mountain tomorrow if we're to start heading East for Pescel."
Daijah set Cefa down. At the same time, the tall, young soldier and the short, old woman stretched their backs with moans of relief.
"You two are so alike," Eya said and giggled.
"What's that supposed to mean?" they responded in unison, causing Eya to erupt with laughter.
"It's good to hear you laugh again," Rhin said, his smile reaching his eyes for once.
"We're so close to real beds and real dinners." Eya sighed with a broad smile. "It's put me in a much better mood."
"Daijah was right," Terald said, joining their conversation. "It is a little warmer here. I don't need my coat anymore. How about you put it on, Eya? You still seem a bit cold."
Eya gratefully accepted his tailored coat, which was so flimsy compared to the bearskin coats the Kandumes had given her, she wondered how Terald hadn't frozen down to his bones. Still, the cloth was soft and expensive, making her feel just a little prettier than she had in months. Eya gave a little hop and twirl for Terald and Rhin as they applauded her transition.
"See Princess Eya resplendent in her finest garb!" Eya joked.
"Queen Eya," Daijah corrected from his position where he was building a campfire to cook the root vegetables Hat spotted on their path earlier. "And, I seem to recall a night you wore a beautiful green gown and a jade necklace. Yet, despite how fine your apparel was, your eyes were the most beautiful thing in the room."
"I remember a young man who swept me off my feet," Eya swooned.
"More like stepped on your toes.” Daijah laughed and Eya smiled.
"Get a cave, you two," Cefa grumbled, causing everyone to chuckle.
After eating fire-roasted radishes and potatoes, Hat scouted for a place to shelter from the freezing winds for the night. Daijah pulled Eya close to his side and enveloped them both with a blanket as they waited by the fire. She was appreciative of the warmth, but even more so of the intimacy.
“I suppose the nice thing about being on the run is that nobody cares if we spend the night together anymore,” Eya whispered.
“I’d like to see them try,” he whispered back, giving her bottom a sweet squeeze.
Eya giggled and then sighed. "I wonder what happened to that jade necklace. I waited my whole life to wear it and only got that one chance. I'll probably never see it again."
"When you're back on your throne, I'll make sure you are dripping with jewels," Daijah said. “You'll wear the finest dresses and sleep in the softest beds."
"Promises. Is it strange that I just can't picture myself living that life at all?"
"Weren't you raised to be royalty your whole life?" Daijah asked.
"Yes, but," Eya said, biting her bottom lip, "that seems like a life that belonged to someone else. I'm not sure I could stay somewhere that long now."
"I think I understand what you mean," Daijah said, nodding his head. "It was never who you were. This isn't who you are either, but at least you're doing something."
"Exactly," Eya replied. “A queen does so much. I have no idea how to rule a country. I only know how to fight for one."
"I will give you whatever life you desire," Daijah said, turning her face to look at his. "All I want is your happiness."
Eya’s face darkened, remembering the prophecy. “I’m not sure it's up to us."
"If we can survive this, we can do anything,” Daijah said leaning in for a kiss.
Their lips almost touched when Hat called out, "There's a cave just a little further down this mountain to the East. It's not much, but it will do for tonight. We better get as much rest as we can. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."
The group slept soundly in the cave that night, exhausted from the endless hiking day after day. No one felt like waking in the morning, despite the buzz of excitement that they were nearly in Pescel now. They shuffled out of the cave and took in the scene before them. There was nothing but icy waves, crackled rock, and smoking volcanoes as far as they could see.
"Caves have been pretty easy to find in the mountains of Hicares," Rhin said, "but I don't think we could trust any caves we might happen upon out there if we see even one of them. We need to try to push through in one day."
The rest of the group nodded grimly, and Daijah hoisted Cefa onto his back. Their muscles protested as they descended the mountain and made their way onto the volcanic plain below. It was only a little easier on the relatively even ground of igneous rock and ash. The air hung thick with soot, reminding Eya of the sulfuric stench of Serenchea. Still, they kept moving forward as quick as they could with shallow breaths, blistered feet, and swollen joints.
They were far enough into the treacherous landscape when they heard the hooves. They knew who they would see as soon as the sound reached their ears, yet they all turned to look. In the distance, Kandumes were riding at full speed, the Duke of Rodovan at the lead. Panicked, the group picked their broken feet up and ran at a full sprint, Cefa bobbing up and down violently on Daijah's shoulders. All thoughts of fatigue and pain vanished, drowned out by their desire to survive. Still, there was no outrunning an army of Kandumes on horseback.
Eya felt ready to give up, to let the Duke capture her. Perhaps, if she gave in, then the rest might be able to get away. Tears flew down her ash-covered face, and her steps slowed to a shuffle. She stared back at the thundering steeds behind her, terror filling her heart. A crack of lightning split the sky.
Daijah's strong hands pulled her upward, and she looked to see where he was dragging her. The group was scaling a volcano now. It was a crazy idea, but the only one they had. Would the Kandumes dare to follow them up? Even from a distance, Eya could see the determination on the Duke's face. He, at least, would try. Thunder boomed above, shifting Eya's attention to the sky. Once again, her fear manifested in a storm. This time, it also churned the sea, heaving its broken shards of ice against the volcanoes.
"Eya!" Cefa yelled. "Keep going! Don't stop!"
Yes, this would be their escape. Watching the Duke climb up the volcano after them, Eya unsheathed her shortsword and sent her lightning into it. She would have to handle the troops on the ground and their leader at arm's length. Massive waves crashed through the volcanoes around them, like a tsunami of salt-water and shining verglas under the ashen sky. She heard the screams below and assumed it was the Kandumes' terror of their imminent drowning. Her eyes focused on Daijah's father as he approached faster than she expected a man that size could.
"Pecu!" Hat screamed. "I thought you said they only blew every fifty years!"
Eya turned her face away from the predator chasing her to see a volcano erupt. She always imagined lava merely flowing out of the top as a dangerous river of flame. What she witnessed was frenzied and unpredictable. It reminded her so much of the magical attacks she saw during battle, but one thousand times more horrifying. Chunks of ash and melting rock spewed into the Heavens, raining down death upon everyone below. Lashes of hot liquid rock cleared out half the Kandumes. The rest were too busy fleeing for their lives from the tsunami and the lava to come after her.
For half a moment, Eya almost felt relieved, only to have the Duke to contend with now. Then, it occurred to her that the Kandumes weren't the only ones in real danger. Her feet found their speed once again as she caught up with her fleeing friends further up the mountain. She prayed to the Goddess Winds that the volcano they scaled would stay asleep. With fire above them and ice water below, escape seemed an impossibility.
"This has never happened before!" Rhin cried, panic twisting up his scarred face.
Eya didn't think things could get any more petrifying until a heart-stopping sound muffled the screams of Kandumes. She heard a roaring boom around the crunch of gravel and then rustling like the ship sails on turbulent seas. Eya knew she shouldn't look up. To slow down was to die, but her fear of the unknown outweighed her common sense. Charring the few Kandumes left standing in the wake of the erupting volcanoes and enormous waves was a giant, winged beast. Its wingspan, which resembled that of a bat, was at least one hundred feet across. From its horned and scaly head, golden eyes locked on to Eya's.
"Dragon!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, barely audible over the creature's bellow.
Fire flared from its mouth one last time, leaving only one survivor, the Duke of Rodovan, now mere yards away. Daijah's father ignored all the death below them, still intent on catching Eya. He climbed as if the world wasn't exploding into flame. Eya didn't know if she was more afraid of the monster or the man.
"Wrong!" Hat shouted. "Dragons! Several of them!"
Five more dragons appeared from the East, similar to the one behind them, only differing in size and colors. These dragons surrounded the group now. Near the top of the volcano, with a cliff in front of them and hot rock at their backs, they had nowhere to run anymore.
Rhin was the first to stop, defeat painted on his sad face.
Then Hat stopped, grabbing Terald's arm with one hand and caressing his cheek with the other.
Eya tripped over a rock, skinning her knees, not seeing the point in rising now.
Daijah collapsed next to her, weary from running and dodging with Cefa on his back.
Cefa seemed unbothered and climbed off the soldier's back to watch the Duke struggling to climb the cliff side to reach them.
Daijah jumped from the ground and rushed to the cliffside. “Let go of this hate and grab my hand!”
“The only time I’ll touch you again is to serve you justice, traitor!” the Duke growled back.
Despite his father’s threat, Daijah still reached an arm down to help. Duke Kojun let go of the cliffside with one hand to pull his scimitar from its sheath, hoping to cut off Daijah’s hand. All the hateful man achieved by doing this was to lose his grip of the cliff. As he plummeted down, the first dragon Eya spotted swooped in below him and, without missing a beat, scooped the mountain man into its mouth.
There was no screaming, not even much chewing. The Duke was simply there and then not. Once the initial shock of what Eya had just witnessed wore off, she turned back to look at Daijah. Like everyone else, his mouth was agape. A fat tear rolled down his chiseled cheek, leaving a clean line through the soot on his face. Forgetting her fear and the many questions floating through her mind for just a moment, Eya scrambled to Daijah and threw her arms around him.
"Daijah," she whispered against his ear, stroking his long black hair. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
Daijah turned his face from the devastation to look at Eya, knowing they would surely be the next to die. “At least we got to spend these last few days together.”
All six dragons landed in a circle around them, and Cefa cackled. Everyone turned to stare at the old woman, as she had clearly lost her mind.
“Good girls!” Cefa exclaimed, throwing her arms around the muzzle of an amber dragon who let out a pleased puff. “You’ve always been my favorites. Your Auntie is very proud of you.”
Eya couldn't believe what she was witnessing. Some silent communication passed between Cefa and her strange nieces. It seemed the dragons meant the group no harm. The only threat to them now was the lava above and tsunami below.
"These are Shoya's daughters," Cefa explained to the group at last. "They've been hibernating in the volcanoes here for a long time. They only come out every fifty years to stretch their wings. That's what causes the volcanoes to erupt. They decided to come out a little early today when they sensed the Embodiment was here and in danger."
Rhin approached the dragons with caution but also with curiosity.
Terald and Hat continued to keep their distance, though they both seemed much relieved.
Daijah held on tight to Eya, still not trusting the creatures that helped put an end to human lives just moments ago.
Eya wanted to stay in his embrace, but she knew she needed to speak with Shoya's daughters. She pulled his arms off her and mouthed “It’s all right.” "Thank you for rescuing us," she squeaked out at last and cleared her voice before saying more. "Is there a message for me?"
They said nothing aloud, but they spoke to her with images flashing through her mind. She saw Farek Malphesent; he was with King Retam now. He no longer hid his identity but used it to gain favor as a traitor to Pescel. She saw the army amassing, even bigger than before, ready to march towards Pescel and burn Hicares in its wake. Eya seethed. Kandum and Farek alike used her for their own gains. Hicares would never belong to her family again. Her home was nothing more than a casualty for the greedy and powerful.
"We need to get to Pescel now," Eya said to the group. "This war is far from over, whether Queen Esamne wants it to be or not."
"My nieces will give us a lift," Cefa offered.
"Us? Ride on a dragon?" Terald gasped in fear.
"Would you rather take your chances on outrunning the lava?" Cefa asked, rolling her eyes, and she climbed onto the back of the dragon that swallowed the Duke.
"Fair point," Terald admitted and stumbled to climb onto the dragon nearest to him, while Hat and Rhin did the same.
Eya walked over to Daijah. He gazed into her eyes and then shifted to the scars on her cheek, which he kissed before resting his forehead against hers.
“Your father—“ Eya began.
“Never loved me,” Daijah interrupted. “No matter how hard I tried. I should have been trying harder to prove myself to you.”
Still, doubts filled Eya. Would he come to regret leaving everything behind for her? She was hardly a perfect woman. “And your duty?”
“You’re my duty,” he answered, and then placed his hand against her flat abdomen. “You and whatever children we make together one day.”
Daijah gave her a quick kiss, and helped her onto a dragon first, and then, after a few deep breaths, he climbed on to the last available dragon, whispering, “Please don’t eat me.”
The dragons had looked horned and scaly from afar. Sitting on them now, it was apparent that they had soft, downy feathers peaking out from between the scales on their backs, with longer ones around the scruff of their necks. Cefa demonstrated that you should hold on to the longer feathers and lean forward. Once she felt sure that everyone had a firm hold, she patted her dragon, and they flew off to the East. All at once, the other dragons followed, startling their riders.
As Eya soared through the air, the wind whipped through her hair while they rose above the smoke and spewing lava. Eya wished she could have called on Shoya's daughters days ago. Her seat on the winged beast was so comfortable that her fatigued body almost fell asleep. The fear of falling to her death kept her awake and aware, however.
While riding a dragon meant speedy travel and breathtaking views, there was something much more impressive washing through her now. Eya felt imbued with confidence, determination, and an incredible sense of strength. She knew it for what it was; Shoya's powers. She would ask Cefa for more information later, but there were so many similarities to how she felt under Nakta's influence. Whereas she felt love and lust when connected to the life all around her, Eya now felt a mighty warrior rising inside. It was somewhat familiar, like how she felt when she was fighting with her shortsword or her arrows. However, it was more than that. She had a purpose, a drive beyond the enjoyment of combat. Eya needed to win.
Soon enough, green hills and oceanside cliffs appeared, and the dragons descended. The lower they got, the less powerful Eya felt. Even after they landed and dismounted from the dragons, however, Eya still remembered the sensation and realized it was more than a fleeting moment. She found her calling on the back of that beast, and it wasn't to be a queen. It was to bring justice.
They bid the dragons goodbye after thanking them profusely for their rescue. Cefa explained that her nieces were a little cranky from having woken up around ten years too early from their hibernation. They also didn't like being around civilization. Now that they were on Pescelean soil, towns and villages were much too close for comfort. Exhausted, the group sat on the grass to watch the dragons fly away into the sunset. When the last speck disappeared on the horizon, and their growling stomachs were no longer possible to ignore, they got up to continue their journey. Though, the rest of it would be considerably easier, according to Terald.
"I know where we are," he said with a smile. "I grew up not too far from here. There's a town down the coast to the South a little. I have enough coin to get us a room at the tavern there. Tomorrow, I can hire a carriage to The Palace."
There were many moans of relief around the group, except for Daijah, who was noticeably morose. Eya, though still buzzing from the high of the ride, couldn't help but understand the loss he was experiencing. She remembered hearing about her father's death. It would have been so much worse if she witnessed it. Even though the Duke had been cold with his son, even disowning him at the end, to Daijah, he was still "Papa."
Eya weaved her arm around his, and he clasped his large hand around her small one. He squeezed it just a little too hard, desperate for some sense of comfort. She didn't wince. She squeezed his hand back. Their fingers locked together, and they walked with the group towards the town Terald said was near. Even Daijah sighed in pleasure at the sight of the village and its large tavern.
After a feast, paid with the royal coin from Terald's purse, Cefa and Eya split from the rest of the group. The men would go to their bathing room, and the women would go to theirs. There was a row of long tubs side by side. Cefa and Eya each claimed a neighboring spot and hurried to dive in. After months of bathing in whatever cold body of water was available, Eya's first dip into the hot bath water felt like stepping into paradise. Her tense muscles felt like they were dissolving into puddles as she stretched out luxuriously, rubbing soapy froth everywhere she could reach. After she was completely clean, she leaned back in her tub and absorbed the moment.
"What happened to you with my nieces back there?" Cefa asked, disturbing the peaceful moment. "You seem different."
"Mal—Malphesent is working with King Retam," Eya answered. "They're going to attack Pescel. They're going to burn down Hicares."
"They gave you their vision. That was helpful. Did they give you anything else?"
"Purpose, Cefa," Eya answered. "I'm going to bring Malphesent and Retam to their knees. I'm going to save my country. I'm going to set your sisters free."