Theo arose, shaking with feverish energy. She gathered her auburn hair in her hands to lift it off her neck, feeling as though she was burning up.
I need to get back to Damon, she thought, reaching for the dress, slipping it on with ease. Hurriedly, hurriedly, she faltered her way around the immense phoenix nest, almost falling into Aspen, who gaped at her in wonder. Damon faced her, his eyes examining her from the distance, his face expressionless.
“I don’t feel well,” Theo breathed. “The firesap…“
“I have the cure here,” Damon cut her off, revealing a small wooden chest in his hands. He unlatched the lid. “Reach in and take it,” he said.
Theo stared in apprehension, but could not see what was inside. She looked up at Damon. His eyes returned her gaze, telling her that he was waiting.
Cautiously, her fingers sought what lay within the dark box. There, her fingertips brushed something and- strike!
Theo jerked away, her eyes widening as small, red drops welled from punctures in her skin. Too stunned to speak, she again looked at Damon, then followed his gaze down to the chest.
A head emerged, deep purple and topped with two ridged horns. It was the head of a small monigon. She gasped as she recognized it as a Needletooth monigon, the creature whose single bite could kill a man or cripple a horse.
Theo recoiled in fear as the animal continued to climb out.
Damon carelessly tossed the animal out into the reeds, causing both Theo and Aspen to flinch.
Damon stepped forward and grasped her hand to examine the bite marks.
“Relax,” Damon said, but her breath was coming in short gasps now and her eyes were dilating. “Listen,” he urged her, laying his hands on her shoulders. “The venom of the Needletooth monigon was the only thing that could save you. I knew you wouldn’t have believed me so I had to do it this way.”
Theo could barely hear him. A prickly feeling had come over her, as her vision failed.
Moments later she recovered to find that she was on the ground. Damon was kneeling before her, untying a leather bottle from his waist.
“Here, Sister,” he said. “The venom and firesap within you are in battle to determine which will dominate. They are perfectly matched, and I predict that in a week they will wear out, leaving you entirely free of both. This elixir will ensure that you are kept safely suspended from the struggle.”
“So you found a cure,” she murmured distantly. “Now you can save all the dragons.”
“No, Theo,” Damon told her gently. “This cure will only help you. Dragons aren’t vulnerable to the Needletooth’s venom; their bodies would fight it off before it could have any effect.” Again, he offered her the bottle in his hands. “Please drink this.”
Warily, Theo shook her head.
“No,” she whispered, moving his hand aside to stand up, steadying herself as she swayed. “Don’t give me anything else, nothing else.”
Damon rose as well, looking puzzled.
“But it will help you,” he told her.
Overwhelmed, she touched her forehead and turned away from them. Wycker rooted himself in front of her.
Once, she had been of greater size than he, but now he was towering in comparison. At such close quarters, she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes.
“Take the potion,” Wycker commanded.
Theo stayed put, weighing a silent challenge, but knew it was no use. Reluctant and feeling cross, she took the flask from her brother. Removing the cork, Theo lifted the bottle to her lips, grimacing at the bitter fluid that sloshed inside. Yet, she began to feel better as soon as she forced it down.
“We need to get a move on,” Wycker growled once Theo, coughing, had swallowed the last of the flask’s contents.
“Yes,” Damon agreed. “Come, follow me.” He took the leather bottle from his sister and she miserably fell into step behind him.
The group made their way to a nearby tree, surrounded by the tall, veiling reeds. Tied to it, Theo was amazed to see, was her horse, fully saddled.
“Nigh!” she cried and rushed forward. “How is she here?” Theo eagerly pivoted her attention to Damon for an answer.
“I located her after you were caught up in the flash flood. Someone took care of her for me in your time of absence. A friend,” Damon said, helping Theo into the saddle. “I gave your horse a concoction to make her fearless.”
“Permanently?” she asked, surprised. She didn’t catch his reply, but then, she wasn’t sure if he had given one at all.
Nigh moved restlessly underneath Theo. Like a completely different horse, Nigh was unafraid in the presence of Wycker and Aspen.
“Thank you, Damon.” Theo stroked the horse’s mane, realizing just how much she had missed her.
“There’s a battle taking place outside,” Wycker reminded them impatiently.
Together, two dragons, two humans, and a horse journeyed closer to the halt of the simmergrass, with the sounds of war between man and beast growing ever louder. As they drew nearer, the intensity of the situation began to dawn on Theo. Tensely, she clenched handfuls of Nigh’s mane as they came upon the battlefield.
Small grey heaps of smoldering phoenix bodies lay on the ground, many with arrows protruding from them. Among them were the knights, most still mounted on horses. The steeds reared and capered in terror of the numerous dragons that now struck full blows at any who stepped within reach.
They aren’t using their fire, Theo noticed and then realized, It’s because they don’t want to hurt the men. Her respect for the dragons grew even more so.
“You have to go out there,” Damon shouted over the battle cries. “Tell Chadwick to call the battle off!”
“Are you mad?!” she asked incredulously.
At this, Wycker bellowed deafeningly, and Damon slapped Nigh onward. At this signal, the dragons retreated and the petrified humans stared in shock as their princess came galloping out of the reeds.
Theo was stunned to silence. All around, her friends of the past years stood warily on their feet, their wings scratched, their bodies scored. They were clearly outnumbered. How obviously they were at a disadvantage, having been terribly weakened by the enduring drought that diminished their water supply and caused them great loss.
Scattered everywhere, the army of men seemed almost frozen in their attacks. Every one of them was clearly equipped and prepared for this fight, wielding swords, spears, bows and arrows, suited in special armor. They rode the bravest of horses, also suited specially for war. The faces of these men were hard for Theo to read as she passed them all so quickly.
As Theo saw all this, it came to her that both forces fought for her. Each and every fighter on the field fought for her freedom- only the dragons were the wiser ones. They knew the true situation of it all. They understood the misunderstood.
Theo was humbled.
From a distance she saw her brother. Seemingly unaware of the pause in battle, he struck out at a dragon who collapsed before him.
It was Sky.
“Chadwick!” Theo shouted, pulling to a stop in front of him. The king turned to his sister in bewilderment.
Her brother stared. His face was clouded and he blinked. “Theo,” he breathed, as though in a dream.
“Call this battle off,” Theo demanded. “You don’t understand what you’re doing!”
Then, as she spoke, she was struck by a remembrance of something. Without another word, she directed Nigh towards the exit of the valley and they bolted.
“Theora!” she heard her brother cry after her in desperation. She heard shouts behind her as she went.
Fearfully, she urged Nigh to go faster still. Nigh galloped through the rolling hills, over the Lower Bridge to the clearing where an honest man once stood, among the broken shackles of his friend.
Theo slid from the saddle, kneeling before the dust that bore the footprints of Tyrone, now nowhere to be seen. She reached out with her newly formed hands and tears slipped from her lashes onto th
em.
The sound of two dozen horses treading the bridge came from behind her. Slowly, she rose to meet her brother.
“What has become of Tyrone?” she asked.
Chadwick’s regal air had returned, bringing upon him a stern face and firm posture. “The traitor, Tyrone,” he spoke loudly, “has betrayed the kingdom of Wystil by releasing a prisoner, enemy to the throne. As such, I have banished him from all of Wystil and bid him never enter my presence again.”
Theo closed her eyes, murmuring, “You blind fool…Tyrone has proved himself faithful as a peacemaker.” Opening her eyes, she said louder, “He should be welcomed back and honored.”
Chadwick snapped, “Now, sister, you’ve gone too far! In your absence our father fell ill and died, leaving me to take the throne and be crowned. Not you! It is I who make demands and call decrees, not you.
“I came running when evidence was found that you may still be alive. I fought fire-breathing beasts in your name, and yet! You pull me from a winning battle and call me a fool and a tyrant? What thanks is this?”
Theo was not swayed, when in former times she would have given way to his fury. Dignified, she mounted her own horse.
“The dragons are not our enemies,” she said simply. “When caught by the flash flood, the dragons came to my aid, allowing me to stay within their residence for the time it took me to recover. They offered me their friendship and proved themselves loyal. No, the dragons are not our enemies. But brother, you made us theirs.”
Chadwick walked alongside her, muttering, and then said more clearly, “Never did you send word to me of your wellbeing.”
“Do not sound so bitter,” Theo scoffed. “How could I have done that? Ask one of the dragons to take a visit at the castle and tell you that I was fine? I myself was not fit enough for the journey.”
She and her brother rode in silence as Theo thought sadly of the dragons, hoping they were all being healed by the firesap fruit. She pictured Tyrone’s face, wondering where it was he’d gone.
. . .
When they were greeted in the towns with cheers and celebration, Chadwick smiled beside her, but Theo did not feel much joy in her return. She saw the flags of blue and yellow that waved in celebration, and the petals of flowers strewn across the street, but her mind was in a different place- back with the dragons. And Tyrone, wherever he was.
She looked at Chadwick, who responded to the crowd’s cheers with a mighty fist in the air.
I can never tell him the truth about River, she told herself. He’s never kept an open mind, always been too stubborn.
He wouldn’t want to believe it anyway. The truth would threaten his perceived victory. His pride is too fragile. Worse things could still happen.
As for Damon, if he wants to tell Chadwick who he is, I won’t try to stop him. It’s not my choice to make.
In the back of her mind, Theo believed that Damon would never end up telling Chadwick about himself. But she did not wish to dwell on the fact that her family would never be complete in that way.
When night came, and she was finally able to escape to her chambers, she did so with only her lady in waiting accompanying her.
“I’ve long awaited your return, Princess,” said the young woman, smiling warmly and opening the door.
Upon entrance, she was startled to hear Tyrone’s voice say, “Welcome back, River.”
Her servant screamed and fled, crying, “Demon!”
Theo saw that the voice came from a small wyvern, marble white with beady red eyes.
It was Ivory, clinging to the curtains, standing out against the deep purple of the fabric as she watched Theo.
Theo exhaled with a smile and came near, saying nothing for a moment, enlightened.
He knows.
“Thank you, Friend,” she whispered, as she guided Ivory to the windowsill with her hand. “I hope to see you again.” As the last words left her mouth, she pressed her fingertips against her lips.
The wyvern blinked, as though memorizing her response, then departed on wing. Theo watched her soar over roof tops like a kite, ascending until she blinked out as one of the stars that hung in the dark sky.
Go, she silently willed the messenger. Return to your master.
Chapter 30