Without it, my little one may suffer.
“That’s all you needed to say.”
I closed my eyes and called to the winds.
“Friends, help me,” I whispered, raising my hands.
The wind stirred at once, fluttering and dancing around my skin before lifting me in its ethereal grasp. I felt my body rise gently from Sy’s back.
It was like drifting beneath an invisible parachute. I couldn’t truly fly — but I could soar.
The winds tickled my nose, making me smile.
They had always protected me.
As I floated down toward the cliff’s edge, a sudden gust swept a wave of molten rock aside. Behind it, an archway glowed faintly in the dark stone.
It felt like an invitation.
The jagged stone bit through the soles of my shoes, sharp as razors in places. I moved slowly into the darkened cave.
Glow worms lit patches of stone with each step, scattering constellations across the cavern walls.
Then I heard it.
A deep breathing sound, slow and steady.
In the dim light I could just make out a monstrous shape curled on the cavern floor.
His scales were not black like Sy’s, but a deep blue that shimmered faintly with their own light. Spines ran along his back — each one easily three metres long. They rose and fell with every breath, their tips sharp enough to split stone.
On the dais in the centre of the dragon’s coiled body, I saw the book.
It pulsed with an energy I had never seen before — only ever felt when I was close to Sy. Like it carried its own gravity.
I raised my hand, calling softly to the winds.
“Help me.”
They stirred immediately… then hesitated.
The breeze circled my face, uneasy, as if it had struck an invisible wall between me and the dais.
I frowned.
The winds would not cross it.
I swallowed, looking at the sleeping dragon king.
I was going to have to walk over there and take it myself.
The stone was warm beneath my feet. Each step felt impossibly loud in the quiet cave. I moved slowly, carefully, until I stood before the dais.
The book rested on a stand of black stone.
I reached for it.
A deep rumble filled the cavern. The ground trembled beneath me.
