“You know what Orid does.”
Zephyros: Yes.
“If you die—”
Zephyros: Then I die in fire, not waiting for it.
That silenced the cavern. Because they all understood that.
They had lived centuries under the prophecy’s shadow. They had waited.
But no prophecy demanded they be brave. That was a choice.
One by one, the dragons lowered their massive heads and sank to their knees—not in obedience, but in reverence. Each kneeling dragon blew out a stream of fire for her on the ground. Their collective streams swirled and merged together, creating a ceremonial runner, a carpet of fire just for her. The one they had once dismissed as strange, lesser, and different, was now being paid tribute by dragons of everybloodline and rank. It was not a small courtesy. It was acknowledgment.It was the greatest honor a dragon could receive.
The weight of it struck me so fiercely my knees nearly gave out. My tears felt inadequate—too fragile to contain the magnitude of what I had just witnessed.
She walked past them with grace, a blanket of embers beneath her feet. Zephyros stepped fully beside me with her head held high as she took in the sight of hundreds of dragons kneeling before her.
Zephyros: We go to Orid for all Fire-kind!
She tipped her head back and let out a blast of fire into the air above. And this time, no one tried to stop her.
Within an hour, Draxxinar and Zephyros were saddled and readied for flight. We silently took off into the air, and I mentally commanded Zephyros to follow Draxxinar.
The flight lasted just over an hour, and it was in complete darkness. I could only trust that Zephyros had better night vision than I did.
The dragons reduced speed, and a faint orange glow marked the night sky against the clouds. Heat lightning flashed in the sky, blending with thick plumes of smoke.
Then the monstrosity I presumed to be Mount Orid came into view, and I felt like I was going to be sick.
It was a jagged monument of vicious charcoal-colored rock that seemed to radiate a physical sense of “hush” over the landscape it dominated. It was a symmetrical cone of terror that rose beyond the clouds. Its slopes were scarred with deep, black fissures and veins of hardened, glassy obsidian. At its peak, a deep, pulsating crimson and orange glow reflected off the underside of the smoke clouds, signaling the churning magma chamber beneath the surface.
What had I gotten myself into?
This was nothing like the volcano the castle was dug into.
This was a monster.
Panic settled in as I started to mentally prepare for what would most likely be my demise.
We circled around the top, and the heat from a hundred feet above, stung my skin. The overwhelming heat from this high up had my stomach in knots, and panic clawed up my throat.
Then I heard a voice in my mind.
Zephyros: It’s okay to be scared, I’m scared too.
“I’m so sorry I asked you to do this, I don’t know if we are going to make it out or not,” I replied.
Zephyros: You did not ask, I chose. If we die it will be to save our kinds, I can think of no greater honor.
I stroked the scales on her back, and the motion seemed to calm me some. I refocused.
I took a deep breath of the sweltering, ash-infested air, and it singed my lungs.
Titus circled around with Draxxinar, who seemed very unruly. He groaned and roared and thrashed with anger.
Zephyros: He’s scared for you.
