Enflamed (Book 2) (18 page)

“Eh? What do you mean?” Nester
asked.

“Her eyes have a glow to them.
She is possessed.”

Flustered, Zarya turned back
to the corpses. As she reached out toward the silk of Sephiya’s robes, the
mage’s body disintegrated into
a grey
sand. Evan’s
body did the same.

Nester, Omari, Aidan and Zarya
gasped in surprise. Sigmund simply lowered his head in prayer. “Celestra be
praised.”

While the others focused on
that, Miele soared into the night sky back toward the mountain peak.

As Miele drew nearer to the
top of the mountain, Kaijin saw himself standing alone at the cave’s mouth, and
he released his mental hold over her. He blinked a few times, feeling as though
he were awakening from another long dream. He rubbed his eyes and looked at
Miele, who fluttered to him, screeching happily. He couldn’t believe what he’d
seen and heard.

“Have you any idea what they
were talking about?” Kaijin asked aloud.

Miele landed on his his
shoulder. She batted her wings once and gave a low screech.

“Huh. Now I’m starting to
wonder if that creature from my dream was right—that I really
was
asleep
for almost three days. Nothing seems to make sense anymore.”

A shadow suddenly swept across
the ground from above, startling him from his musings.

Percival began chirping
loudly, as if frightened. He stood on all fours, his supple body arched and
trembling, his beady eyes turned to the sky.

Kaijin followed the weasel’s
gaze. A large shadow circled the mountain’s apex. The great mass appeared to be
a creature more than twice the size of the monster from his dream.

Kaijin heard the sound of
large wings beating, and fear overtook him as the area reverberated with a
terrible roar.

XVI

The monstrous silhouette
descended from the sky, and a creature nimbly landed atop the mountain’s crest.
It reared and stretched its massive wings, which spanned almost twice its own
length. The moonlight glistened on its scales.

Returning to all fours, the
creature climbed down the crest and made its way to the cave’s entrance. It
poked its head inside, then jerked it back out and let out another mighty roar.

Kaijin stood paralyzed in
fear.
A Dragon!
Sweat formed on his palms.
After all my reading and
all of Master Jarial’s stories, I never thought I would encounter such a
majestic yet terrifying creature.

Percival anxiously wove around
Kaijin’s ankles.

Kaijin turned his gaze to the
weasel and then to Miele. “Am I ... dreaming again?”

Percival shrilled, seemingly
empathic to Kaijin’s tension.

Miele shrieked, and a wave of
warmth and assurance filled Kaijin.

The Dragon roared again, a
thunderous sound that promised violence. A dazzling display of lightning
streaked the starry sky.

Kaijin’s heart pounded.
Dreaming
or not, I’m not waiting to find out!
He fled down the winding mountain path
as fast as his exhausted body would allow. Miele flew off his shoulder and
soared above him, shrieking—though Kaijin did not sense fear from her. Percival
followed in Kaijin’s footsteps, frantically chirruping.

Kaijin’s feet quickly grew
heavy. His legs ached; his steps slowed to a stop. Miele landed on his
shoulder, while Percival curled himself around Kaijin’s ankles. Percival
shivered and turned his ears backward, staring back at Kaijin.

Kaijin stopped for a moment,
panting. “Don’t ... worry, Percival. I will make sure we ... make it to the
bottom safely.”

Further down the mountain, his
companions headed his way. Nester, leading the group, pointed at Kaijin and
then broke into a sprint, leaving the others behind.

Is Nester mad?
He continued trudging down the rocky path. “Stop, Nester!”
he yelled, motioning for Nester to stop.

The brownie reached him. A
bright, gap-toothed smile spread across his face.
“Kaijin!
I knew you’d wake up, mate!”

Kaijin huffed, catching his breath,
and then reached to pull Nester with him down the trail. “Nester, we have to
hurry before—”

Nester sidestepped away from
Kaijin, and his gaze drifted toward the mountaintop. His face lit up. “She’s
back!”

“What? Who’s back?” Confused,
Kaijin spun around and watched Nester bolt up the path. The brownie stopped
short of the Dragon, who sat near the cave’s entrance.
This is madness! Can
he not see that the Dragon is angry?
Knowing our luck, it will take its
anger out on us.

Percival wound around Kaijin’s
feet, tickling his ankles. The weasel then skittered away, his stubbly legs a
blur of motion as he went to meet Omari and the rest of the group. Miele
flapped her wings and shrieked lightheartedly.

Kaijin received another warm,
reassuring sensation from her, which piqued his curiosity.
“You’re not
afraid? The Dragon looks intimidating. Nester’s liable to get himself squished
like a bug if he keeps this up.”

Sigmund soon approached, along
with Zarya, Omari, and Aidan. “It’s a blessing that you’re still alive,
Kaijin.” Sigmund carefully studied him. “I have seen enough death for one day.”
He peered up the mountain. “It looks like the Mistress has returned from her
hunt.” He beckoned the group to follow. “Come.”

Zarya offered Kaijin a bright
smile, and then ran to catch up with Sigmund.

“The
Mistress?”
Kaijin repeated,
watching them ascend the path. “Wait, where are you going? Don’t you realize—
”

“The Dragon,” Omari said,
brushing past Kaijin. “Ker ... Kah ... Confound it! How in the hells do you
pronounce it again, Aidan?” He looked back at the giant.

Aidan smiled. “Her name is
Kyniythyria.”

Kaijin furrowed his brow. He
attempted to pronounce the name, as well, but only ended up getting
tongue-tied. Aidan chuckled.

“Do not bother trying to
pronounce it, Kaijin,” Omari said. “It is a
Draconic
name, and Draconic is such an awkward language.”

Kaijin hesitated. “Well, it
doesn’t seem so difficult for Aidan.” He paused and glanced up the mountain.
The Dragon was still occupied with Nester—and it seemed Nester was still alive.
“She looks plenty mad. Are you certain she’s on our side?”

Omari looked back at Kaijin
and snorted. “Indeed. You have missed much while you were napping.”

“Will you enlighten me, then?”

Omari picked up Percival, held
him in his arms and stroked his tawny fur. “After our camp was attacked, we
were captured and brought here atop this mountain.”

Kaijin blinked. “We were?
Captured by whom?”

“Them.” Omari nodded toward
Sigmund, who continued walking ahead of them. “There were two others, but they
were slain.”

Kaijin paused, thinking about
the battle he’d witnessed. “Who are they?”

“They are an ageless race of
creatures known as Celestials. Sigmund explained that Celestials are servants
to the Dragons, and many believe they are descendants of the goddess.”

Kaijin tilted his head. He
recalled reading stories about the great Celestials as a child, and he’d
thought them nothing more than just that: fanciful creatures in children’s
stories.
“Descendants of the goddess?”

“Indeed.” Omari nodded. “It is
believed that their kind can live for almost a millennium.”

“Really?
There must be millions of them around, then.”

“Not really, no. They are very
slow to propagate. The Mistress went into great detail about it.”

“Interesting.
But how can they be descended from the goddess if
they are mortal creatures? This all sounds a bit farfetched, don’t you think?”

“It is cryptic, yes, I know.
But it is not wise to question a Dragon’s explanation. Take it for what it is,
Kaijin. Look at any Celestial, and you will discover similar physical qualities
that are linked to the goddess: perfectly proportioned, inherent healing
powers,
and they smell like honeysuckle, which is said to be
Celestra’s scent.”

“They
all
smell like
honeysuckle.
Really.”
Kaijin quirked
his eyebrow.

Omari urged Percival up onto
his shoulder, and then scratched him behind the ears. “Well, to the Dragons,
they smell like that, at least.”

Kaijin sensed Aidan close
behind him and he looked over his shoulder. “Aidan, I remember when we first met
Zarya, you smelled honeysuckle, but Nester and I didn’t.”

Aidan raised his head to look
at Kaijin.

That must mean Aidan is a—

“No, Kaijin,” Omari said, as
though he had read his thoughts. “Aidan is not a Dragon.
At
least, not fully.”

Kaijin’s eyes widened
slightly, remembering Aidan’s distinctive features. The scales, the size, the
strength—the nubs on his back ...
Wings?
“Is that true, Aidan?”

Aidan pursed his lips and
stared at the ground again. “Aidan is who he is.”

Kaijin looked between Aidan
and Omari. “Who told you all this?”

Omari nodded toward the
Dragon. “She did.”

“Kyniythyria told Aidan
wonderful story of Aidan’s family,” Aidan added with a smile.

Kaijin gawked at the giant.
“What? You—you mean the Dragon actually
knows
your family?”

“No, but—”

“It was but a long-winded
fairytale of princesses, demons, and Dragon kingdoms that ended up putting
Nester and me to sleep.” Omari rolled his eyes.

Kaijin smiled slightly at
Aidan. “But still, if it really is true, it must be nice to know about your family.”

Aidan shrugged but said
nothing.

Looking ahead, Kaijin realized
they were not far from the top of the mountain. He watched Zarya and Sigmund
and noted the way the two of them walked: swift, graceful, and elegant.

Kaijin snapped out of his
silent musings, turned back to Omari, and asked, “So Zarya really
has
been hiding her identity all this time?”

Omari smirked wickedly. “So
that
was
you possessing Miele instead of helping us fend off those
slayers. And to answer your question, yes, Zarya seems to be so ashamed of her
race that she would hide her identity. Or perhaps there is some other reason.”

Ashamed
of herself.
Kaijin frowned. He
wondered what sort of darkness she masked.

“She is a woman, Kaijin,”
Omari continued. “Women tend to do strange, unexplainable things. Despite that,
one cannot deny that she is an exceptional healer.” Omari rubbed his temple and
blinked a few times, looking amazed. “All that casting left me exhausted after
the battle, but she somehow managed to strengthen my mind and body, and I have
never felt better.”

Kaijin recalled some of his
master’s lessons on the dangers of magic. Jarial’s warnings frightened him as a
child, and Kaijin had sworn he’d never cast magic on himself like that until he
had truly mastered the Art. “It was most likely a temporary fix,” Kaijin told
Omari. “You should not become too dependent on that. A mage’s mind is fragile.
You need rest.”

“Pah! I know that, you fool.
Do not scold me like some confounded child! I am far more experienced than you
will ever be.”

I hope so, for your sake.
Rather than press the issue, Kaijin looked at the
ground.

Omari cleared his throat. “The
fact of the matter is
,
Zarya helped me when I required
it. It is none of my business, nor do I care to know why she has decided to
disguise herself for so long. My only concern is finishing this confounded
test.”

“Test ...?” Kaijin eyed Omari.
“Ah, your staff?
If I recall, you said you were trying
to get it enchanted by a Dragon, right?”

“Correct.” Omari nodded.
“Unfortunately, however, the Dragon has done nothing for
me
. She refused
to perform any enchantments until either
you
awoke or
She
was fully convinced that you were dead. Now that the former has occurred,
She
will waste more of my time wanting to interrogate you
like She did us. She has been highly irritable and wary about slayers having
moved into this area, which is also why we were brought here—the Celestials
thought we were slayers.”

Kaijin frowned.
“How terrible.”
He cast another glance up the mountain.
Nester, joined with Zarya and Sigmund, bowed before the Dragon, who regarded
them with white, flashing eyes that crackled with lightning.

“The Celestials have not been
so bad, since we convinced them otherwise. The Mistress allowed us to rest in
Her
cave and has offered us food. Mind you, it is not the
most extravagant of accommodations, but only a fool—a dead fool—would outwardly
complain to
Her
about it.”

The mention of food made
Kaijin’s stomach rumble. He felt as though he hadn’t eaten in days. He rubbed
his stomach, slight embarrassment overcoming him when Omari looked amused. “I
could go for a meal or two
right
about now,” Kaijin
said. He fantasized about his mother’s mouthwatering apple porridge.

Omari huffed. “I am certain
She
will provide something once She has finished
interrogating you.”

“Right.”
Kaijin sighed. “These slayers sound like they’re more
trouble than they’re worth.”

“Quite an
understatement, Kaijin.”

Aidan growled. “Aidan does not
like violence, but he will do what is necessary to deal with slayers.”

Aidan’s comment made Kaijin
regard the giant with surprise. “This may end up bloody. Are you willing to ...
kill
, as well?”

Aidan swallowed. His face
paled, and he gave a small, reluctant nod. “If Aidan must ... then yes. He
feels very strongly about this. He does not know why.”

“I do not think it is strange
for you to feel that way, Aidan,” Omari said. “Especially since most—if not
all—Dragons regard slayers with such contempt.”

Aidan’s gaze shifted ahead.
“Killing a Dragon is highest crime, the greatest dishonor one can bring to the
goddess. One cannot continue to live with the blood of
Her
children on their hands.”

“Listen to
yourself
,
speaking like some priest,” Omari said.

Aidan scowled at the elder
mage. “Kyniythyria told Aidan!”

“I simply find it
interesting—and amusing—that a pacifist like
yourself
has the potential to become as violent and threatening as a rabid beast.”