Chapter 13

Royce gripped at Duran’s arm in reflex. He’d never once seen a dragon and what lay before them was a monster. From its blunt scaly nose to the tip of its twitching tail, the beast rested easily ten feet high at the shoulder and three times his length from nose to tail, with folded limbs beneath its crouched bulk. Standing, it would tower over them, the men no larger than insects in comparison. Black scales marbled with iridescent color refracted the magic light from Rune’s spell. Thick horns rose from the high top of its head, curling inward right at the tip. Its mouth hung open in a snarl as it regarded them suspiciously. It twisted carefully on its feet to keep them in view, gingerly moving a front paw before crying out in pain. A single wing was pulled back taut into its spine, but the other was… He gasped. “Mercy! How did that happen? Who would do that?”

The wing was hanging bent at an odd angle from the middle, a spear of white poking through leathery skin where the bone protruded, snapped cleanly, grounding him completely. Glistening, wine dark blood had dried around it, but the injury was fresh. It looked excruciatingly painful bearing the extended weight of the rest of the wing.

“Grayson! Stand back,” Rune growled.

But he didn’t stop. Instead he approached slowly and cautiously dropped his pack to the ground, grabbing a water skin with his hands before him. With his gaze locked on the animal, he never once acknowledged Rune or the others.

“Easy,” he murmured as he approached the beast’s head. Wide eyes flashed with a wary sunshine-bright fire, enhanced by the black scales and peaks of its face. A single growl warbled into a pitched whine that broke Royce’s heart. They all watched as Grayson neared the beast, one step at a time, until he was close enough to touch the snout. Uncorking the water, he poured a little into his hand so the beast could see it, smell it. When the bright gold iris focused on him retracted and those large eyes blinked, he rested the opening on the lower jaw and poured. The dragon sighed before he drank greedily.

None spoke, not wanting to enrage the dragon with Grayson so close.

Royce twisted on his neck to take in the cavern. The dragon’s den, lair, nest, whatever they stood in was immense, giving an idea of how broad its wingspan could be. The space soared high overhead, oval shaped from edge to edge. It had been hollowed by time and likely the dragon, though at the moment it felt barren, like the rest of the tunnel. Like the world outside the cave. Smooth walls rose high to a rounded ceiling. There was zero natural light this far into the mountain. For the dragon it was likely perfect. Deep in the mountain, mostly temperature controlled and well-hidden. The earthen colors changed little throughout. Concave pits along the lower wall could have been nesting hollows, given their shape, which seemed to mimic the curvature of the dragon’s body. They could have been fully natural hollows, also. It was hard to say having never experienced such a moment or seen such a place.

While the three watching remained pensively calm and quiet letting Grayson take the lead, gentle wisps of sound were heard from Grayson as he crooned to the large beast. He emptied the full skin into the dragon’s mouth, a shudder overtaking the scaled body as its thirst was quenched, if only a little.

“Dragons are of the earth, made of stone and rain and sky. Never a part of any, yet a part of all,” Grayson said reverently, slipping the emptied skin to the ground. “I read about them in one of the tomes during my early training. I always thought it meant something else, but now I understand.”

“What?” Rune asked, equally as curious as quiet.

Grayson knelt before the beast, his gaze not meeting the dragon’s yet showing no fear to be so close. “Dragons are an old magic, like ours. They are creatures of the elements and the earth. This is why I could feel his pain, we are the same magic. They were birthed from the magic of the earth itself, gaining the bounty of the earthen elements, to rule the sky while staying a part of the earth where they lived. I understand now. I…can feel him.” The stretched quiet seemed to give Grayson the ability to feel the dragon. “This is why I had to be here. To save the last dragon.”

Royce’s alert gaze danced from Grayson to the beast before them. “The last dragon?” A flash of shocked eyes was shared between them all.

“I can feel it in my heart. I can hear him, sense him. He is old, yet young. Timeless, yet still learning. The others took his kin and his eggs. They wounded him to slow him down as they kidnapped his babies when they couldn’t capture him.”

“Others?” Rune sank to the floor where he stood, commanding his staff to stay upright to brighten the encompassing cavern.

Duran and Royce followed suit, giving Grayson freedom to connect with the dragon.

“Your vision is yet to come. Look at his size, his color. Is he in your vision?”

Rune studied him for several pregnant seconds, his surprise clear when he did reply. “He is.”

“Your vision didn’t lie then. He will be returning with us. Somehow, it will come to pass.” Grayson’s attention rose and he met the watchful, less wary gaze before him. “He was injured trying to protect his eggs. The others who took his eggs did this to him.”

“You’re seeing all of this?” Rune removed his pack to settle better and Royce and Duran followed. “How?”

“He is telling me, I think. I’m not sure.” His brow furrowed as he concentrated, his gaze locked on the yellow orbs before him. “His name… His name is Kierei.” Grayson’s jaw flexed then he nodded, more assured. “Yes, Kierei,” he confirmed.

“What others? Can you see?” Duran asked about the previous remark.

Grayson raised a hand before him and waited. All of them held still, not moving at all. Then Kierei nosed forward, his snout touching his palm. A shuddered sigh eased from his large barrel, as though overcome with relief.

“They came for the eggs,” Grayson murmured. “They came for his children. He was able to fight them, but this last time…” He growled. “Mages, like us. Powerful, cruel. One who can create portals, like we thought. Someone very powerful is helping King Bucol and Carden. They are why this world is dying. They’ve done this damage.”

“The Blood Spawn army,” Rune spat. “They’ve stripped the animals and the dragons and taken them to be part of the army, using them to create the vile creatures of war. Parts of the vision make more sense now. None of us knew. It makes me wonder what other worlds they’ve stripped to swell its numbers and keep the army going.”

Grayson’s voice was mellow, distracted, as though listening. “He knows. Kierei had a visitor when he was at his worst, telling him to be patient. Aid would be coming, that we would be coming. But I don’t know how to set a bone like that.”

“I do,” Royce said before thinking about where the bone was, or the kind of animal he was thinking about helping. He bit his lip. “It will hurt him, though. There’s no way to block the pain.”

“I can try,” Duran suggested. “I can see his energy, the way it pulses with the pain he’s feeling. I might be able to affect it enough to dull what he feels, even a little.”

“Will you let us try, Kierei?” Grayson didn’t remove his hand, tenderly stroking over the end of his nose, soothing him. “If it’s set, you will heal. If you agree, I can care for you. It is your choice.” He paused at ease in his position before the dragon’s head, then, “No, none that I call my own will hurt you. I know I am small and soft.” Grayson chuckled kindly. “But I can help you.”

Royce watched this interaction in awe. “He’s really speaking to you?”

He shook his head, then rolled a shoulder after. Which made absolutely no sense. Clearly Grayson didn’t know how to explain it either when he tried.

“Kind of. In a way. We are born of the same energy. We are earth, from the smallest grain of sand to the largest stone and the highest mountain. I think it is more his need to be understood. But it’s not words.” Grayson reached his feet to stand next to Kierei’s head. The rub of his palm against scales sounded like the dry scratch of raw leather. The dragon pushed into the touch, welcoming the interaction as they all watched Grayson bond with the dragon. “He wants to find any of his eggs. Do we agree to help him if he returns with us?”

Rune shared a look between Duran and Royce, a nod of agreement instantaneous, then faced the dragon. “Kierei, you have my word.”

“He says you’re not like the other mage who came. That none of us are, though I think Royce confuses him.” He chuckled as Kierei continued to study them.

Royce grinned, more relaxed where he sat. “We can explain that later.”

“I have a question for him.” Duran stood and Remy hopped to his braced arm from the top of his pack. “Does he know of the crown? Is there any other place it could be? There’s nothing else on my map. This is where the trail ends.” And there wasn’t a single sign of riches in the space. The idea of the crown being here didn’t seem possible. There was nothing in the cavern save them and one dragon.

Slowly, stiffly, the big beast rolled his body and swept his working wing upward. Duran cautiously walked to his unseen side to peer down the wall. His gaze widened, his voice rising with dawning excitement. “In there?”

“What’s there?” Royce asked.

He spoke over his shoulder. “A low hole in the wall, like something quickly dug out. Half the width of a person.” He released a pained gasp that reverberated in the silence. “His eggs were in there, weren’t they?”

The dragon keened and lowered until he lay on outstretched legs, which was answer enough. Royce’s heart nearly broke with the clarity of the dragon’s anguish.

“Remy, can you fit in there?” The sound of owl wings flapped to waddle into the low opening. Whuhu.

“What did he say?” Rune called.

“It’s dark.” Duran’s humored voice rose from the other side of the dragon’s body.

They all chuckled, then waited.

Whuhu. Whuhu.

Excitement filled his voice when he translated Remy’s request. “It’s too heavy for him to move. Do we have any rope?”

Royce hopped to his pack, tearing into pockets to dig around. He smiled when he fisted his hand around the coil. Carrying the long length of rope, he walked around the dragon, keeping a cautious eye on him even though he seemed unconcerned by all their activity. Royce found Duran kneeling at the wall peering into the hole. “Will this work?” He handed over the rope.

“Remy, see if you can pull this through it, like a ring and then bring me the end.”

Remy grabbed the rope in his beak and disappeared into the darkness again. There was a squawk and a thunk followed by a harsh flutter of wings and some pretty loud complaining.

Duran flinched. “He’s going to be grumpy. I think it fell on him.”

“Ouch.” Royce winced in sympathy. “Now we know why they were persistent though.” He looked over his shoulder, watching Grayson and the dragon. Surprisingly, the dragon wasn’t very concerned with any of them so close to its side. “Were you nesting your eggs, Kierei?”

A soft sound emitted from his throat. A tired sound. Because even the dragon’s best efforts to protect his eggs hadn’t been enough to deter the mage who’d taken them and wounded him.

“He won’t be able to move right away.” Even if he couldn’t speak of his pain, Royce could see it in the ginger way he shuffled and the stiff hold the beast maintained on his frame to not jostle the injured wing. He had to be exhausted on top of everything.

“We have time.” Duran’s attention was on Remy, where it should be, while Royce was thinking about the dragon’s wing where it hung limply against his spine and side. Rune was already searching through his pack for supplies and Grayson was near Kierei, keeping him calm with them all around him.

The way his wing was injured, he wouldn’t be able to fly and he couldn’t curl it against its back to travel the tunnel. He didn’t know if Rune would be able to open a portal large enough within the cavern either. They had time to figure out those dynamics, to construct a splint of some type then to get home.

“How long have you been trapped in here, Kierei?” Royce asked.

“He felt the change of the day several times but can’t say for certain. Maybe a week in our world?” Grayson had sunk down near his front claws and leaned into his shoulder, continuing to stroke the stretched out, long, muscled neck. It amazed Royce he showed absolutely no fear of the beast. Somehow the mighty dragon who’d been injured by mages while protecting his clutch, was allowing the four of them to practically crawl all over him.

Royce neared the dragon’s head. “I want to look at your wing, okay? If I can manage a splint for you, we can get you to our home to give you time to heal.”

The large head rose marginally, peering at him with an unsettling stillness. Eventually, he swung around to nudge Grayson’s thigh.

“Yes, if he says he can find a way, I trust him. He is part animal, that is why he smells different. If anyone understands what to do, he does.” Grayson patted his thick brow bone. A hefty exhale expanded the dragon’s body like a bellows. Grayson grinned gently at the suffering sound of the dragon’s reply. “He agrees.” The dragon twisted around to practically rest in Grayson’s lap.

Royce nodded. “I need to go outside to find supports for the splint. When did he last eat?”

“Before his injury, he had to fly a good distance to find any food.” Worry crossed Grayson’s face. “There are no animals to hunt nearby any longer.” A shared expression of understanding was swift between them. Their thoughts on the lack of anything in this world to sustain a dragon’s appetite was proven correct. There was nothing.

Royce caught his lip as he considered what he could do, thinking of the little they’d seen in the river plateau. “I can try to bring something back for him, but it will be the small game we saw. He needs his energy for what we’re going to do. To heal.”

“He’s telling me to not bother with the flying grass eaters.” His brow scrunched under his focus with Kierei. “I’m guessing the pegasi we saw yesterday? He says they’re stringy and hollow.”

Duran snorted from where he squatted by the hole still focused on Remy’s progress. “They’re too far away anyway. If you give me a moment to pull this out, I’ll join you.”

“Thanks.”

Duran looked over his shoulder and winked. A warm feeling filled Royce at the playfulness. Now that the crown had been located, there was considerably less stress and worry among them. The dragon was unexpected but overall the hunt for the crown had been less dangerous than he’d originally anticipated. Time would tell if that was a good thing or if more awaited them.

Twisting forward Duran reached into the hole when the owl clambered out. “Thank you, Remy. You’ve been the best.”

Whuhu.

Steady drags inched something heavy toward him through the dark and dirt until he gathered it and stood. Choked reverence graveled his voice when he next spoke. “Friends, the books did not do this justice.”

He walked near and held it forward.

Royce’s jaw dropped as the gleam of gold reflected the white light filling the cavern. The golden crown was robust with four leaping lions carved from the ore itself to appear to be almost bursting from the top layers of the crown. Gems glittered throughout, in eyes, wound through the manes, and lined around the bevel of the crown. It glistened with a starry brightness from the cast light of Rune’s illumination spell.

“The Valda-Cree crown,” Rune choked out. “After all this time.”

Duran stood before Kierei. “I can’t imagine the pain you’re suffering but thank you for guarding this. This is one step on a long road to putting many ills to right. Which includes helping you find your eggs.”

Duran bowed to the dragon then moved away to tuck the crown into his pack. He addressed Rune and Grayson. “Help him get comfortable away from the wall so we can work. We’ll do a splint and pack it to keep it clean. We were given three days. We have already spent at least half of today. We need to be able to return with him ready by tomorrow.” He emptied his pack with little concern. “Look through what we have for anything that can be used for wrapping. We’ll figure out a way to secure his wing.”

“Bring back enough wood for a fire, also,” Rune asked, sifting through his own pack’s contents scattered around him. “I don’t have any herbs to help with healing but that will be easier once we’re home.”

Duran draped his emptied pack over his shoulders, Royce doing the same, leaving the contents to be searched through to assist setting Kierei’s wing. Bending, Duran gave Remy his arm to flap around to his normal place on top of his pack. “Grayson, could you tell him about our world, so it’s not a shock when we take him through? There are going to be a lot of people scared of him and we have to be able to control that.”

“Be happy to. He’s honestly a little excited about this. Not that he got hurt, but that he may find his babies. He knows there are no more dragons here.” A slow hand stroked over close scales as the magnitude of those words struck them all, confirming what they’d been fearing.

Royce, Rune, and Duran all froze. “He does? None? He can tell?” Duran blurted. “What you said earlier about being the last… He truly is the last here?”

“He could hear them before, if there were any, and he’s been calling for days with no answer. With the way his wing is damaged, he couldn’t travel the tunnel to see for himself. That was when his visitor came. An old woman who smelled of magic and sunshine. She spoke kindly to him and told him to wait. Explained he would find peace again. She did something to ease his pain but couldn’t do more then.”

“Wow,” Royce murmured. The magnitude of power that would be needed to enslave an entire world of creatures was terrifying. And told them even more about who and what they faced. “We’re here now. And we will help.”

“Yes, we will.” Duran was firm on that. “Too many lives—”

“And worlds,” Grayson growled.

“Have been drawn into Carden’s plans.”

“Now we know how he’s filling his army, though. He’s stripping other worlds and their resources.” Rune shook his head. “I hope Jayce is still well.”

Duran dropped a palm to his shoulder and squeezed. The connection the mages shared was evident with their combined worry. None was more important than the other, and together they were formidable. “He will be fine. He’s stronger than he looks.”

Rune barked a laugh and grinned. “More, he’s too stubborn to know better.”

“That works, too,” Grayson added, chuckling as the others joined his humor.

“I don’t see anything that will suffice as a torch.” Duran twisted and searched the cavern.

“We’ll manage.” Royce stood at his elbow. Even in total darkness he could see outlines with his shifter vision. He’d keep them from walking into walls. “Let’s get what we need so we can help Kierei.”