Ride the Wave

17

I’d avoided going back ever since I’d left when I was thirteen, and I both longed to see the sparkling blue waters again and dreaded returning to the place where I’d lost my family. I wondered if Reven felt the same. Our childhoods had so many similarities, at least from the bits and pieces I’d learned from him, and I wished he would open up to me more, but it was something I couldn’t force.

He was doing better physically, at least. Some color had returned to his face, and he no longer looked quite as frail and thin. I tried to touch him as much as possible, hoping my healing would help him recover faster, and to reassure myself he was truly all right.

We soared southwest across the Earth Realm, leaving behind the ice-covered mountain peaks and flying over forests and fields. There’d been some argument over which dragon I would ride, with everyone saying that Doran couldn’t be trusted. Both Jasin and Auric wanted me to fly with them, but that meant Slade or Reven would have to ride with my father. In the end, I decided to have faith in Doran and told my mates I’d be riding with him—end of discussion. They didn’t like it, but Doran had proven himself so far, and I wanted to show I trusted him, even if I was still hesitant about it. I hoped it might bring us closer, and as a result of that he might reveal more about the past.

And maybe I just wanted to be near my father too. I’d spent my entire life yearning and searching for a family. I’d moved from place to place, trying to find a replacement for the parents I’d lost and the twin sister I never knew I was missing. First I’d tried to find my family with merchants, then with bandits, before landing with Tash and her mother. Now my family consisted of my mates, but I loved them in a different way.

A part of me knew that my relationship with my father would be fleeting and short-lived. I wanted to soak up as much time with him as I could before it was over. Even if he was something of a monster, I was curious about him—and my mother too, if I was honest. They’d lived a long time, and I knew so little about them, beyond the myths and rumors.

“What did you do before you became Nysa’s mate?” I asked, when we stopped to take a quick break. Talking while flying was difficult except for a few short words yelled into the wind, so this was our first moment to chat.

“I was a pirate,” Doran said.

“Really?” I had to admit he did look the part.

He leaned against a tree and took a swig of water. “It’s been a long time since I thought about those days. I grew up in the Water Realm, and your grandmother and her mates had brokered a truce with the elementals, so they didn’t attack us as long as we stayed out of their way. That opened the seas to travel, and I joined a merchant’s ship at thirteen. At sixteen, we got attached by pirates. They told me I could join them or die. Seemed like an obvious choice.” A slow grin spread over his face. “By the time I was twenty-five and the Water God came to visit me, I was captain of that ship.”

“What happened then?”

His grin faded. “I gave it all up for Nysa.”

Of course he did. Just like my mates gave up their previous lives for me. “Did you love her?”

“I did. I do. I always will.” He met my eyes. “But I love my daughter more.”

I stared at him and grasped for a way to respond. He turned away before I could find an answer, and then he shifted back into his dragon form to take off. All I could do was stand there, reeling in shock, while a warm feeling spread through my chest, followed by a deep, unbearable sadness. I’d waited so long to hear words like that…and now they were from my enemy.

D

oran led the way, pushing us hard the entire time. When we finally stopped it was late in the evening, and we managed to find an abandoned farm to spend the night in. The roof was caving in on the farmhouse and everything had a layer of dust, but I supposed it was better than camping outside. Jasin lit a fire in the slightly moldy hearth, and we sat around it while we ate some of the food we’d packed.

Doran spread the map out in front of us. “We’re going to take a slightly longer route to avoid the other Dragons, who will no doubt be looking for us around the old Water Temple.”

“What can you tell us about the other Dragons?” Jasin asked.

He lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug. “What do you want to know? I’ve spent many lifetimes with the bastards. It’s hard to narrow it down to a quick summary.”

“Tell us about each one of them,” Auric said. “What did they do before they were chosen by the Gods? What are they like now?”

Doran leaned back in a rickety wooden chair and folded his hands behind his head. “Isen was a nobleman, Sark was a soldier, Heldor was a carpenter, and, like I told Kira earlier, I was a pirate.”

“That sounds oddly similar to our lives before all of this,” Slade said.

“You’re probably more like the Dragon you’re replacing than you realize, and you’ll probably take on similar roles once this is all over. Her protector, her enforcer, her scout, and her diplomat.” He chuckled softly. “What can I say? Each of the Gods has a type.”

“I’m nothing like Sark,” Jasin said with a scowl.