Ride the Wave

3

The tray smelled heavenly and was piled high with roasted chicken, carrots, and potatoes, along with a pitcher of water. I considered whether the food and water might be poisoned, but quickly dismissed the idea. My gifts from the Spirit Goddess would probably heal me from any poison, and the Dragons could have killed me instead of locking me up. No, they wanted me alive…for now. They must have a plan if they were feeding me, but what? “Take it,” Sark said, thrusting the tray forward again.

My resolve failed, and I snatched the tray out of his hands, making sure not to touch him. I retreated to the back of my cage and began to pick at the food, while he crossed his arms and watched me the entire time I ate. Hunger quickly took over and I began to devour the food under his dreadful gaze like an animal trapped in a cage, waiting to be turned into a meal. All they had to do was fatten me up first.

When I finished, I threw the empty tray through the bars of my cage at him. He dodged it easily with a grunt, picked it up off the floor, and turned to walk away. Fury rose up in me and I called out, “Why are you keeping me here? What do you want?”

He left the room without answering me, the door slamming shut and locking behind him. With anger fueling me, I wrapped my hands around the bone cage and shook it hard. That heavy revulsion and nausea filled me, but I held on for as long as I could and used all my strength to try to pry a bone loose. Nothing budged. I was forced to let go, staggering back as sweat dripped down my forehead and bile clung to my throat.

There would be no breaking through this cage.

For a few minutes I had to focus on breathing in and out to make sure I didn’t bring up the food I’d just eaten. When I no longer felt sick, I sighed and slowly sank to the floor. My head fell forward into my hands and I rubbed my temples, unsure if I wanted to scream or cry. I couldn’t escape, I had no idea if my mates were alive or dead, and all I could do was wait and pray for a way out.

Where was Enva? She usually came to me when I was upset, and I could use my grandmother’s advice now more than ever. Perhaps the bone cage was preventing her from manifesting too?

One thing was certain: I was truly all alone here.

3

Slade

T

he journey to the Resistance hideout in the mountains was tense. None of us trusted Doran or wanted anything to do with him, but one of us had to ride on his back, so I’d volunteered. I considered it my penance for letting Kira be kidn*pped. What good was being a Dragon now if I couldn't actually fly? Kira was captured, Reven was in a coma, and Parin was dead—all because of me. Nothing I did could ever make up for my failures, but the least I could do was return Parin's body to the Resistance and then prepare to rescue Kira.

As the Earth Realm soared below me, I tried to quench the fear and unease that came with being so far above the earth. Without my feet on solid ground I never felt comfortable, not since the Earth God had blessed me with his favor and his powers. That blessing now seemed to be holding me back. Would I ever be able to fly? Or would I be useless as a Dragon forever?

Doran set down in the forest while Auric—with Jasin and Reven on his back—landed at the Resistance base’s secret entrance in the mountain. We’d decided it would be better for everyone if the Resistance didn’t know we were working with Doran, for fear it would cause a panic or provoke an attack. We needed him, no matter how much we hated it.

A short while later, Auric returned and collected us, along with Parin's body. With Doran’s commonplace clothes and his hooded cloak covering much of his face, no one recognized him when we entered the Resistance hideout. I wasn’t surprised, since he was rarely seen in his human form, especially in the Earth Realm. Besides, no one expected a Dragon to look more like a carefree drifter than one of the men who ruled our world through fear and death.

As we stepped into the smooth caves of the hideout, we were greeted by an older woman named Daka who we’d met once before. We’d rescued her and a few other people from the Onyx Army in the Fire Realm before they could be executed for being members of the Resistance.

“It’s a blessing to see you’ve returned,” Daka said. Her brown hair was streaked with gray and her skin was tanned and wrinkled, but her eyes shone bright. “Please come in and we’ll get you settled. You must be exhausted.”

“It’s good to see you made it to the Resistance base alive,” I said.

“Yes, thanks to you.” She smiled, but then her smile fell when she noticed our dwindled numbers and the two lifeless bodies we’d brought with us.

“I wish we were here under better circumstances,” Auric said. “Unfortunately, Kira has been kidn*pped, one of our men is in a coma, and Parin... He gave his life fighting the Dragons. I’m sorry.”

Daka covered her mouth as she let out a soft cry, her eyes filling with tears. “Oh, Parin, no. What will we do without him leading us? And with Faya gone too…”

Her tears reminded me of my failure, and I looked away, focusing on the hidden town of Slateden behind her. The stone and wooden buildings stood below the high, domed ceiling of the cave, but the roads were nearly empty today.