Ride the Wave

26

18

Kira

D

oran’s talons hit the sand. “We’re here.”

I glanced around from where I sat on his back. We’d landed on a small island, barely big enough for the three dragons to stand on together. There were two large rocks, a lone palm tree, and a cluster of seaweed that was being washed on shore. Water surrounded us in every direction, stretching as far as the eye could see.

“What do you mean, we’re here?” Jasin asked, his voice gravelly in his dragon form.

“I hate to agree with Jasin, but this doesn’t look like a temple,” Reven said, from Jasin’s back.

Still a dragon, Doran strode to the edge of the island, where the waves met the land. “The Water Temple is below us. We’ll have to swim to get there.”

I peered down into the crystal blue water but saw nothing. “How do the priests survive living underwater?”

“The Water God protects them,” Doran said, as if it was obvious.

“Here’s a better question, how are we supposed to get down there?” Jasin asked, shying back from the water before it could touch his claws.

“We’ll manage,” Doran said. “Auric can shield himself with a bubble of air, while Reven can keep the water away from Jasin. I’ll protect Kira. Now, follow me.”

He trudged into the water, his wings folding at his side, his tail swishing at the waves. I clutched onto his dark blue scales while Auric and Jasin trailed behind us. Auric didn’t seem troubled at all, but Jasin hesitated before entering the ocean. Reven muttered something to him, and the red dragon grumbled and stepped forward into the water.

As soon as Doran slipped below the waves, I held my breath—but found it wasn’t necessary. He created a bubble around me by pushing the water back, forming a circle of air that allowed me to breathe. Even though the ocean surrounded us, I remained dry. Doran, on the other hand, didn’t seem to need air to breathe underwater. Reven copied him and shielded Jasin as they braved the ocean, while Auric created a similar bubble of air around himself and Slade.

The three dragons walked across the bottom of the ocean, until it sloped down suddenly. The deep water below us was dark, and I couldn’t see anything down there. A trickle of fear ran down my spine as I gazed at the vast, deep darkness, filled with the unknown. What if our bubbles gave out? What if something horrible was lurking there?

All I could do was trust my father as he launched himself into the dark depths of the ocean. He sped along the invisible water currents faster than I could have imagined, using his wings to propel him forward. The other two dragons followed, although they were not as fast or as sleek. Doran was in his element, swimming forward into the darkness with no light to guide him. Me, on the other hand, I couldn’t see a thing, except for the quick movement of a fish now and then as it darted out of our path. I summoned a bright flame in my palm, but it barely illuminated everything. After a few seconds, I gave up.

Something appeared in the dark depths. A pale glow below us, which Doran led us toward. I caught sight of hundreds of silvery fish dashing back and forth in a cluster stretching far and wide, that almost looked like a busy road. Below them I glimpsed something that looked like the top of a tower, where the glowing light was coming from.

A large, pale structure with towers and turrets slowly revealed itself as we moved deeper. The architecture was intricate, a beautiful thing of swirls and arches that flowed like water itself, somehow looking completely natural rising from the ocean floor. It was impossible to tell how old the building was, but I sensed it had been there a long time.

Doran landed on the bottom of the ocean in front of a giant statue of a dragon at the entrance. As he stepped forward, we passed through a shimmery veil that rippled across my skin. He dropped the water bubble around us, which was no longer needed.

A large dome of air surrounded the Water Temple, allowing us to breathe safely while we were visiting. Fish swam on the other side and high above us, coming right to the edge of the dome but not entering it. I stared up at it in awe, marveling at the Water God’s power.

The other two dragons emerged behind us. Auric created a warm gust of wind that had him dry within seconds, while Jasin shook off the water like a dog as soon as Slade slid off his back. My father didn’t seem bothered by the water dripping off him at all.

“This structure looks like it’s been here for hundreds of years,” Auric said, after returning to his human form. “I thought you said this wasn’t the original Water Temple?”

“It’s not,” Doran said. “Long ago, when I first became a Dragon, there were many temples to the Gods across the four Realms. After Nysa came to power, we imprisoned the Gods in their largest temple, and then had some of the others destroyed. Others naturally became abandoned over the years as people lost faith in their absent Gods. This was one of those temples. The priests have been slowly restoring and preparing it ever since the Water God was freed. When it became clear that Nysa wanted all the temples destroyed, the High Priestess and her mates moved here for safety.”

The tall stone door at the front of the temple opened with a loud rumble. A small woman with curly black hair and olive skin stepped through the door. She looked to be a few years older than I was and wore a shimmering blue robe with a necklace made of seashells. With her short height, round face, and warm smile, she was more cute than beautiful, and I instantly felt comfortable around her.