Page 30 of Trial By Fire

“Let’s not speak of wishing for more time. Knowing you for only a moment means more to me than you will ever know. To know that my love for your mother gave me the most precious gift. You. I’ve lived a long time. But these moments are the most important.” He smiles and turns toward the entry to the waterfall.

“Go. Take my heart and my love with you, always.” My heart breaks. What do I say to someone I barely know, but who has given me so much in such a short time? I cross over to Dravyn, bending down, I scoop him up in my arms, grabbing him underneath his lifeless ones, and I begin to drag him as gently as possible to the portal. As soon as I’m within arms reach of it, I stop. I look toward my father, and he turns as if he could feel my gaze. He smiles and inclines his head to me as more booms shake the walls around us.

“Thank you. Take my love with you as well.” I barely get the words out, my voice is shaky, and tears clog my throat as I pull Dravyn back toward the portal, and I take one last look at my father.

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

TORIN

The Barren Lands is an empty void. Volcanoes and lava tubes, ash so thick you can barely see in front of you. The smell of Sulphur is so strong I have an intense urge to shift and fly above the atmosphere that appears to linger over this area. It’s almost unnatural. You can feel the lack of magic in the air. It’s almost like it is draining it away. How can a place like this exist within our Realm? Why can’t our magic fix it? The purpose of our elemental magic is to replenish our land. This place is dead. I know it was meant to be a prison, but the thought of children being born and raised here doesn’t sit well with me. Now I know why Cordelia was so angered to know Dravyn was born into a place like this. I’m angry that he and other children like him suffered in this type of environment. They committed no crimes. So why were they punished? We’ve turned a blind eye to the Barren Lands for far too long. Things need to change. The idea of imprisoning our people and stripping them of their magic and Dragons is archaic and barbaric. No modernity. No infrastructure. How can we save Arcadia when there is a living, breathing blight within it? No wonder those who inhabit here followed Thaddeus so easily. To improve my way of life, to give my family a fighting chance, who's to say I wouldn’t have done the same.

“Torin,” Adrian calls my name, and I look up, and find him standing directly in front of me. His eyebrows raised in concern. I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t realized we’d stopped moving. We are standing on a rocky cliff of black slate like rock that crunches underneath our feet. Looking out over the red tinted horizon, I can see a makeshift settlement that makes up the homes of those who live here. Nestled within the valley below, there is a clear path leading from where we stand to the entrance. People are already gathered and move up the path to meet us. They’re possibly worried that we are here to cause them harm. I know for a fact that some of the Barons fled here when we stormed the palace, so maybe they think we are here for them. I can worry about them later. My number one priority is Cordelia. Her emotions have been so erratic, so turbulent. We flew as fast as we could to get here.

“How do you want to do this? We need to at least find out the proximity of where the portal might be. If Thaddeus came through here, someone would have seen him. Do you think they will be willing to help us?” Gale walks past me and begins to walk down the path.

“These people have suffered enough. Someone should be willing to give us the information we need. I mean, look at this place. I am ashamed. There are children down there,” I say to them both. Their expressions mirror my own: sadness.

“Only Cordelia can decide what to do ultimately,” Adrian says, with hope in his voice. He knows just as well as I do that she will take one look at this place and offer these people something better. “I can guarantee she is going to help them. It won’t matter what they did to get here.” He tilts his head to motion for me to follow, and I start to move.

I sigh, my arms spread wide. “True. We need to offer them a lifeline. Hope for change and hope for something better than this.” I point toward the shantytown in front of us. It doesn’t take us long to walk down into the valley, but as we reach the bottom, a woman waits for us and blocks our way. She stands tall, with her shoulders back, and she looks proud. She has long grey-black hair, and bright knowing violet eyes, wearing a tattered patchwork robe.

“You seek the portal. Am I correct?” she calls out to us. She looks over her shoulder at the people waiting at the dilapidated gate of the settlement entrance and takes another step forward. Is she their designated leader? She watches us approach, her gaze piercing us, as if she can see into our souls. Who is this woman? And why is she here?

“Yes, as a matter of fact, that is exactly why we are here. We mean none of you harm.” Adrian walks forward to greet her, with his hands raised with his palms facing her to signify peace.

“I am Torin, this is Gale and Adrian,” I say as I approach behind Adrian, mimicking his gesture.

“Miriam,” the woman says as she closes the distance. “Please forgive me for not inviting you back there, but we know what’s happened in the capital. There are some of us who are a bit anxious and worried about your sudden appearance here.” She offers a kind smile and continues. “The portal is back the way you came. It’s where the magic is strongest, there is nothing down here in the valley.” She points back up the path and turns to leave. Her job is done, and she begins to walk away. Are they that beaten down that she doesn’t want to know more? Demand more?

“Miriam,” I call her name. She stops but doesn’t turn around.

“We are going to fix this. Our mate will fix this. Queen Cordelia will fix this!” I call out to her, my voice laced with promise.

“Pretty words. Thaddeus had pretty words too. Where did that get us? Me? He got what he wanted and abandoned us here. I’ve lost so much. Most of the people here have,” she says as she turns to face us again. The hurt in her eyes quickly fades and is replaced with anger. “No more words. Tell the new queen the people of the Barren Lands will be waiting.” She locks her hard eyes with all three of us before she turns sharply and stomps away.

“Dravyn!” The sudden change to the eerie silence as we watch her walk away is jarring. Our eyes turn to the top of the path. Cordelia’s voice is shaky, and her emotions slam down through our bond so hard it takes my breath away. The bright shimmer of a portal stays in place for only a matter of seconds as she struggles with something I can’t see from this angle. We all take off running up the hill toward her.

“Dravyn!” She shouts again. As soon as we crest the top, I see what’s causing so much despair and grief. Blood pours from Dravyn’s wounds, his body is cut apart, hanging open like bright red ribbons. Cordelia is on her knees. Her face is blood-stained, the black dress she is wearing is ripped and shredded, yet she is wearing a black, sparkling crown on top of her head. She pulls Dravyn partially into her lap, not noticing any of us as we approach.

“Cordelia, gorgeous,” Gale calls her name softly, not wanting to startle her, she looks up, but there is no light in her eyes.

“He’s dead.” She cries, burying her face in Dravyn’s mangled body. I can see that he is breathing, barely, but he’s alive. I kneel in front of her and hold out my arms.

“Look at me, beautiful,” I say gently. I want to wrap her in my arms and carry her away from here. I don’t know what the hell happened inIncantatia,but her emotions are all over the place.

“He’s alive, baby. We need to get him some help,” Adrian says beside me. She looks up at Adrian and shakes her head, tears falling down her blood-stained face.

“My father-he-he-he’s dead.” I quickly grab Dravyn’s body. Cordelia screams. Her rage and frustration hang heavy around us as she cries. Her emotions are tearing my heart out of my chest as wave after wave of grief hits me. Gale falls to his knees and gathers her in his arms as she sobs. Adrian’s arms wrap around them both protectively as footfalls rush up the hill to meet us. Adrian growls in warning at the sound coming from behind.

“Dravyn? Did she say Dravyn?” I turn with him in my arms as Miriam takes a tentative step toward me. Her eyes go wide with shock. She stands completely still, her fingers flexing at her sides as she scans the man in my arms. Tears fall down her cheeks as she takes one step closer. “My son. He took him. I never saw him again.” She shakes her head in disbelief, she cries silently as she reaches out with trembling hands to touch his damaged face.

“He needs the Water of Elysium. His Dragon will heal him. He was never taken there—it should help him now.” She looks at me frantically, determination in her eyes as she looks over my shoulder at Cordelia.

“You have to go now, or he will die,” she says with urgency.

“He can’t die! No one else dies!” Cordelia yells defiantly. She pushes herself to her feet, wiping her tears, untangling herself from Gale’s and Adrian’s embrace. The golden eyes of her Dragon glow bright white, power rolls off her in waves as she stops next to me. Her skin ripples, her need to shift strong as she grabs Dravyn’s hand.

“Show me. Take me to the waters.” She starts to strip out of her dress, not caring at all who sees her naked. I lay Dravyn gently at the feet of his mother, who drops to her knees and touches her son’s face. We all quickly follow Delia’s lead, and quickly discard our clothes, and we all step away to give ourselves room. Cordelia shifts instantly, her bright red Dragon turns her golden eyes on Dravyn’s mother. A silent conversation passes between them, a promise to save her son, and a promise to return, before she launches herself in the air, shooting high in the sky. Gale and Adrian follow her, leaving me to hover above the ground. I gently take Dravyn into my talons, holding him close as I lift myself into the air. My wings carry me as fast as they can to the foothills ofKaeluma, to the caves that hold the Waters of Elysium.

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