Damara frowned as she noticed Chasm heading towards the mountain range that stood in the far distance.
“Aren’t we going to the castle?” she called above the wind.
It seemed as though Chasm responded, but his voice was hard to hear. She couldn’t distinguish his words.
“What?” she called.
Chasm turned his head to her. “First I’m going to introduce you to my allies,” he shouted.
Allies? Damara shifted uncomfortably. I didn’t know he had other acquaintances…I suppose it only makes sense.
Still, she’d been expecting to perform in front of the court, prove her point, and go back home without any diversions. She definitely hadn’t prepared herself for this. But she locked her jaw shut and didn’t say a word.
It was amazing how short of a time it was taking them to reach the mountains, even despite the reroutes that avoided towns and villages.
He’s swift and stealthy, Damara noted proudly, watching the muscles on Chasm’s back ripple and flex with every beat of his wings. All those other humans don’t know what they’re missing.
But the farther from the castle they got, the more disturbed Damara became. How far away are these allies? she worried. And why is it so important that I meet them?
Then, angrily she thought, What’s wrong with me? Not long ago, I’d be happy to meet any dragons.
As Chasm entered the mountain range, Damara was amazed to see the rise of huge rock formations. The mountains stood tall and still, like ominous giants. She could see tufts of new plant life growing like stubble on their rugged chins.
Patches of snow still clung to the peaks, adding a refreshing but sharp smell to the thin air. Damara wished her cape would stop flapping behind her and instead warm her as temperatures began to drop.
What is that? She gawked at a large tree on the top of a dark mountain. Its many twigs glittered as though decked with tiny ornaments. Through watery eyes that streamed in the wind, Damara saw each and every shining speck blur together into a blotch of metallic yellow. The entire tree seemed to glow.
“Do you see that?” Damara called above the wind, but Chasm didn’t seem to reply. She twisted around as they passed it, but the mysterious tree soon disappeared behind the mountains.
I’ll have to ask about it later, she determined.
In time, Chasm began a hushed descent in the eerie bluffs, banking to the left, and landed on all fours.
Damara dismounted, pulling her saddle blanket with her, looking around at the empty ravine. Everything was silent.
“Well?” she inquired, dispirited. “Where are your allies?”
Chasm nodded over to a couple lumps of earth and she squinted at them through messy hair.
“Oh!” Damara gasped as two dragons rose up. Their colors were so muted that she hadn’t seen them.
“This is a surprise,” the female of the two grumbled. She was mahogany, lacking any expression on her thick, ugly head.
The male beside her, a big brown dragon, grunted.
These are Chasm’s friends? Damara withered inside. They look like robbers in dragon form.
“Veer, Hasten,” Chasm addressed them, smirking. “Meet my rider.”
Damara waved nervously, then retracted her hand, silently cursing herself for her stupidity.
Dragons don’t wave!
“I’m Damara,” she introduced herself, abashed.
The dragons said nothing. She could feel their eyes studying her closely. Even with Chasm right behind her, she couldn’t help but feel isolated, exposed.
“Why would you let a human ride on your back?” Veer, the female, asked Chasm.
Damara shrunk in dismay. They aren’t happy to see me.
Chasm’s head snaked past Damara’s ear. “Damara’s an old friend,” he said. “She’s going to help me with something.”
“We’re going to prove that dragons aren’t bad,” Damara piped up, hoping to please them and loosen the tension.
“Odd thing to prove,” Veer replied. Her eyes were slanted slits as she looked Damara up and down again.
Damara shifted uncomfortably. “If we don’t, then Wystil will kill you all…” she began but let her voice die out, instantly regretting the words coming out of her mouth.
Hasten snorted in derision.
Flatly, Chasm responded, “They just might be able to.”
Veer and Hasten seemed to pause as if to think about it, though neither of them said a word.
Damara furrowed her brow at their lack of concern.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “Why doesn’t that bother you?”
“It does,” Chasm snorted. “Veer and Hasten are as unreadable as rocks, but you’ll get used to it.”
“What do you mean?” Damara clutched her cape in alarm. “Aren’t we going back to Wystil now?”
“The time for that will come,” Chasm assured her. “But as of right now, there are other matters that need to be addressed.”
“What does that have to do with me?!” she protested. “Why would you bring me here just to tell me to wait?”
“You said you wanted to leave your brother,” Chasm replied.
Damara gritted her teeth, remembering her own words, ‘Please, let’s just leave.’
I don’t want to make Chasm angry with me, she thought. By now, he’s my only friend. And he’s right…I was the one who wanted to leave today.
“I’m sorry.” She looked down to the blossoms at her feet. “I just thought we could fly to the castle today and show that war was unnecessary.”
Chasm scoffed. “Life is never that simple.”
Damara looked back up at him. “Then what else are you planning to do?” she asked.
“You needn’t worry about that.” He smiled. “I just want you to stay here in the mountains with us for now. And stay close. There are other dragons beyond here that aren’t so…chivalrous.”
“Like the ones that attacked Swaineford?” she questioned, tense.
“Yes,” he replied.
Damara swung her eyes around in fear, looking for anything that might leap out at her. Shadows lengthened over the valley, painting her surroundings darker as the sun slowly began to sink. Bumps formed on her arms and she pulled her cape over them in attempt to stop herself from shaking.
“But, Damara.” Chasm met her eyes with a reassuring gaze. “You’re safe with me.”
His words settled inside her, calming her. She took a deep breath and nodded.
Chasm turned his head to Veer and Hasten, who still stood there silently. “Let’s get to work now,” he told them. “I’d hate to keep Damara waiting for long.”
Veer gave a curt nod and Hasten grunted.
They’re like a couple of ugly hogs, Damara thought, yawning as the exhaustion from the long flight overcame her. She sat down on the soft ground with her warm saddle blanket.
Her stomach growled and she wondered about food.
I can go without a couple of meals, she decided. It’s a small price to pay for peace.
There was still a little light out, but she drowsily laid down and curled up. I’m safe here for now. Soon we’ll be back in Wystil and all will be well, she promised herself. Her body surrendered to sleep, with eyes closed to dream of nothing but night as she drew shallow breath through slightly parted lips.
. . .
Damara awoke on the ground where she lay, shivering. Her fingers and toes were numbed senseless by the cold and she pulled the blanket around her shoulders, sitting up.
I’d have dressed warmer had I known I’d find myself here in the morning! she thought sourly as she stood up on fresh, tender grass.
She took a moment to observe the valley where Chasm had brought her. It was pinched between the surrounding mountains. The sky was overcast as usual, but Damara could feel spring in the air. The breeze had lost its bitterness, and flower buds peeped out of the ground like tiny, curious monigons. She saw no lake or running stream, but there was still snow hidden in t
he shaded cracks of rocks. Damara touched the gourd tied to her waist. Nearly empty.
A rumbling moved the ground under her feet, startling her, and a nearby pine rattled its needles. She looked up at it in confusion.
Another little quake shook the earth.
What?!
Damara heard scuffling behind her and turned, alarmed to see that Veer and Hasten were fighting. With meaty forelegs interlocked, the dragons wrestled each other, growling throatily. Damara sucked in her breath and scrambled up the mountain side to watch from a distance on hard-packed snow.
Where is Chasm? She ducked behind a boulder fearfully, face drawn close to the cold rock as she peeked out. Veer and Hasten didn’t seem to notice her there; they just went on battling. Heavily, they stomped the ground, never once taking flight as they struggled to best each other.
“You’re a lousy fighter!” Veer bellowed at Hasten as they reared back and clashed together. She gripped him by the shoulders to try and force him to the ground. “If I wanted to, I could kill you.”
If she wanted to? Damara puzzled over her words. She’s not trying to kill him already?
“Such lies,” Hasten grunted back, shaking in effort to overpower Veer. “You know I’m stronger.”
“Ha!” Veer laughed in his face. “You’re weak as that worm in the cave lake!” The dragon huffed as she found herself in an awkward position.
They’re taunting each other, Damara thought. And testing each other’s strength…Is this a game? She began to relax somewhat, though chips of crumbling shale clattered past her when the dragons pounded the earth yet again.
“I could kill that scrawny serpent right now,” Hasten snarled, locking forelegs with the female.
“Oh please,” Veer sneered. “Even on dry land, it would beat you.”
They talk more when they’re fighting, Damara noted, almost amused.
“You and your sharp tongue,” Hasten grumbled. “Why did I chose you as my mate? Even Quiver would have been a better choice.”
“Go pair with that swampy skeleton for all I care,” Veer shot back, pushing a big foreclaw against his face.
At last, both fell apart, heaving on the ground like tired dogs. Damara eyed them, still wary, before looking down to fill her gourd with snow.
Why would Chasm leave me with these two animals? She dug her nails into compacted snow, sucking on her knuckle as the ice scraped a layer of skin away. Where is he anyway? She crammed frozen clumps through the mouth of her gourd, searching the area with moody eyes.
He tells me I’m safe with him but then he just gets up and- there! Damara’s face brightened at the sight of Chasm landing below. Hastily, she tied the gourd back to her waist and ran down to meet him. Maybe we can go now!
But Chasm barely even looked at her as she pulled to a stop beside him.
“Where did you go?” she asked, touching the dull colored scales of his neck.
He ignored her, walking on to speak to Veer and Hasten.
Hey! Damara crossed her arms as she watched him go. Why didn’t he answer?
Chasm talked quietly with his back to her and his allies gave some sort of response. In a few moments, they’d finished their conversation. Together, Veer and Hasten lumbered up a slope, only to lift off at the crest and disappear into the sky.
“Where have you been?” Damara approached Chasm once more.
“I was scouting out the mountain range, making sure it’s safe,” he answered. “I told you there are other dragons around that can hurt you.”
“Yeah.” Damara attempted a weak smile. “Well, your lumpish allies nearly crushed me in their raucous game of bring down the mountainside. Could you not leave me like that again?”
“Veer and Hasten are perfectly capable of protecting you.”
“I know they’re capable; they just don’t seem to care about me…”
“We’re dragons. We don’t nurture things.”
Damara stood back, insulted. “Oh, so I’m just a thing now?”
“Stop your bleating,” Chasm ended the dispute.
Damara closed her mouth, her feelings hurt. Xander never talked to me like that.
Xander. She gazed up as the sun poked through the clouds to warm her face. I miss him already. When is the next time I’ll see him?
Recalling what she had said to him yesterday, her heart sank. ‘Watch as I do what you should’ve done years ago…’
I’m such a terrible sister. I’ll have to make things right between us, after all this is over with.
But for now-
Damara tried to lighten up, looking back at Chasm.
“Veer and Hasten are actually mates, then?” She forced a laugh. “They don’t seem to love each other.”
“Love,” Chasm snorted.
“What?” Muddled, Damara cocked her head. “Don’t you love anyone, Chasm?”
The dragon narrowed his eyes and stared away. “Good question,” he replied.
‘Good question?’ Damara was taken aback. Doesn’t he know?
Well, what does it mean to love? Isn’t it just caring about someone? Or is it something more than that?
How can I know that I love Xander if I don’t even know what love is? Damara tugged her fingers through knotted hair.
Do I love anyone?
I suppose it is a good question.
Chapter 6