My eyes widen, catching sight of the dragons that spring from the ground, their wings catching the light of the fire from my horse. The others lift above the surface before allowing the sand to swallow them whole again.
My lips part, trembling as I try to steady myself. My dragons finally catch up to me, swirling and hovering around me. The one of fire, lighting the sky around me and the one of ice, cooling my body down from the scorching temperature of the desert.
Even though it’s night.
It’s a brutal place to try and survive.
I see the pathway the Gods gave us for the race right behind us, hoping andprayingTheon, Kaine, and Koen have left to continue the race. I need them to be safe.
“It’s time.”The voice of the elder hits me like bricks, almost knocking the air out of me. I haven’t heard the voice that led me back home in what feels like forever, and now that she’s back, I know it’s important.
A crimson red light blasts from the sky, fire raining down directly on…me.Through the flames, I see Theon and Kaine coming to a slow walk as their eyes are wide in fear. Koen falls to his knees with his hands in his hair.
They didn’t leave me. But they should have.
They shouldn’t worry. They should know I’ll be fine. I won’t burn. And I can’t die, not as a Fallen Ember. Not as a Deskyiara. Koen knows that. The only way a Deskyiara can die is if the arrows or blade forged in the lava from the darklands pierces my heart, or if a damn dragon eats me alive.
Let's hope neither of those things happen today.
The flames flicker with an azure hue, casting soft tones of blue around me, and the trembling stops. The dragons halt.
But they surround me.
My chest rises and falls. My eyes frantically search everywhere, turning on my heels to circle around. Then, a dragon's nose pushes through the fire and hovers over me.
Its rust-colored neck swivels upward, almost touching the heavens, I swear of it. The spikes reflect the fire around us, and its scales shimmer with a golden color that reminds me of the sun. When the wings come into view as it makes its way through the wall of fire, my heart plummets, fear almost killing me.
This one is enormous. Larger than the one of the Darklands.
Then the dragon's neck arches down towards me. Its head tilts side to side, studying me. “Why do you keep running away?”
My chin lifts high. I’ve talked to a dragon before, I can do it now.Don’t show fear.
I just don’t want it to eat me.
“Why do the dragons keep trying to kill me?”
“We are not. We are here to remind you of the gift from the Gods. You need us. We need you.”
I stumble back, the nose of my Fireninze catching my fall.
“How do you know what my gift is!”
“Has Koen, the dark one, found the book hidden in the archives?”
My shoulders relax, heart racing. “How did you know—”I stutter, taking a deep breath. “How do you know anything about Koen? The book?”
“Your dragons…” The dragon tilts its head side to side before blowing hot steam through its nose. “Also, your horse. We all communicate. We all know what is happening within our Realms.”
“I don’t understand! How is this possible! How can I talk to you and no one else can?”
“That is part of the gift the God of Fire chose for you, he knew your sister would betray you. He saw the war that was coming. He wanted to protect you.”
My fingers dig into my forehead, scanning the ground in pure shock. “Why is my gift so important to you all?”
The dragon lowers its head, hues of turquoise and yellow glistening in its eyes. “Because your gift is the only thing capable of saving the dragons. Saving us all.”
Chapter 44
