Dragonlands(209)

In his mercy, Mestifito made it quick. Jacinda was a pile of ashes within a few breaths.

"Take her home," Granna said to Destrian. "Show your people what happens when they use cruelty to rule rather than justice. We will not stand for it, and soon we will show the rest of the Dragonlands what it means to be free."

The young man nodded, his face passive, dusting his mother’s ashes into a rag he carried in his pocket. He tied it up, then turned toward the north.

Granna waved a hand. "You may change back into your dragon now. Fly home."

Within moments Destrian transformed into the golden dragon and flew toward his home without so much as a glance back at the Black horde.





Chapter Fourteen


Jarrett lowered the anchor, mooring the boat not far off shore. Together, Jarrett and Connor cranked the winch, lowering the dinghy to the water. Connor climbed down the rope into the boat. Bastian lowered Elinor to Connor because she wasn’t shy to admit she didn’t have the upper body strength to make her way down the rope without falling. Bastian followed, and then Jarrett.

Jarrett sat at the back of the dinghy, paddling. Bastian threw up over the side while Elinor rubbed his back, and Connor stuck his face into the wind, enjoying the ride. Jarrett hoped Bastian would quickly regain his legs once they hit the shore. They'd need his steel to face whatever traps the Keepers had set. Jarrett only wished he knew more magic. He always claimed he only knew basic parlor tricks, but the truth was that he'd spent most of his life chasing down anyone who could teach him. Still, he'd only practiced the magic in secret or in dire situations, not trusting his abilities to be useful.

They stepped onto shore, their feet wet. Jarrett unrolled his pants, letting them fall past his ankles.

"Now what?" Elinor asked.

"I don't know," Jarrett said. All he knew was that Malachi had brought the dragons here and they had to find them. Keeper lore wasn't well known, or even fully understood. It was possible he was taking too much of it at face value. Maybe the Keepers were just a myth.

"What's that?" Bastian asked, pointing at the sky.

Four projectiles careened through the air.

"Run!" Jarrett screamed. They took off in three different directions, Elinor holding onto Bastian's hand. Jarrett watched the projectiles change course. Something was hunting them. He swerved, and the thing swerved with him, following every step with amazing precision. Yet it didn't seem to be coming any closer to the ground.

Jarrett stopped in a crouch, his hands over his head. He had to know if it would bomb him when it had a clear shot. He waited, his eyes trained on the sky. The thing hovered in the air above him.

"It's okay," he called out to the others. "They're just watching us."

The three made their way back to his position.

"Watching us? I don't like that," Bastian said.

Elinor held tight to Bastian's hand. Jarrett couldn't help notice they were getting closer. He wished Tressa was with them. Soon, he kept reminding himself. She was in good hands with Fi. The Black had proven themselves to be allies and friends. He'd travel to the Charred Barrens as soon as he found the dragon eggs.

"I don't think they mean us any harm," Jarrett said. "Not at the moment. Let's keep walking, see if anything happens."

Together, the four walked north, away from shore and the water. The strange objects followed above, coming a little closer. A blue eye blinked inside the crystalline sphere, focused on Jarrett. The other three were the same, watching their charges.

"That's odd," Bastian said. "What is it?"

"Now that it’s still and I can see it better, it’s only a sentry," Elinor said. "We used them at the infirmary in Ashoom."

"Why?" Connor asked.

"To keep an eye on terminally sick patients while we slept, or ate, or took a break. They're harmless," she said. "Just simple magic."

Bastian shook his head. "There's nothing simple about magic."

"That's because you didn't grow up with it. I understand magic is very foreign to you, but trust me, sentries are nothing to worry about." Elinor smiled and squeezed Bastian's hand.

"Can they hear as well as see?" Jarrett asked Elinor, grateful for her insights on the esoteric. She was not a mage, but her father was. She had to have seen things others hadn’t.

"Ours could only see,” Elinor said.

"Okay. Just in case, let's keep our conversation general. No mention of our plans. Let's keep moving," Jarrett said.

"What are we looking for?" Connor asked.

"Anything," Jarrett said. "If something looks out of place or holds a clue to the whereabouts of what we seek, we need to examine it."