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Perhaps the test had been about patience, not so much physical prowess. He looked at both sides of that long wall. Far on the left, at the limit where his eyes could see, it seemed to be lower. It had to end somewhere, or at least there could be a place where it was easier to climb. Walking around it didn’t sound like the smartest solution, but he couldn’t come up with anything else right now. After a deep breath, Fel started moving. It would do him no good to stand there, wondering and wishing.
It wasa good thing that there were many streams running from that precipice, so at least Fel didn’t feel thirsty. The image that came to his mind was his sister as a child, using her hands to get water from a lake, then offering to do the same for him, and him refusing her help. Instead, he kneeled and drank directly from the lake. Even his metal hands couldn’t scoop water. But it didn’t matter. There was always another way, always a solution. He kept walking until he found a part where the rock didn’t look as vertical, but more like a regular mountain—quite a rocky mountain. It was either this or walking a long time to maybe find a more suitable place from where he could go up. Fel decided to take his chances. He made his way carefully, sometimes sitting or leaning on his arms, but slowly, he came to the top of the cliff.
Looking down, he saw such a huge valley beyond him. He wasn’t sure if this was still Fernick or elsewhere, perhaps even a different realm in the hollow. But then, the truth was that this continent was much larger than Aluria, and even there, they couldn’t always see the mountain range that cut his land in two. Still, what surprised him was the amount of green, untouched green, where forests and vegetation grew undisturbed as far as his eyes could see. With so much unexplored, wild space, it made sense that there were so many groups of fae and elves hidden in this continent. There was so much in here, so much that he wanted to see, even as his heart yearned to go back home and help save them.
The peak from where he’d have to get the egg was visible from here, a protrusion in that cliff, a mountain within a mountain. The way there wasn’t easy, though, but rocky with only some rough patches of land. But then, at least if he fell here, he wouldn’t die.
He’d startedhis walk in the morning, and the sun was already down near the horizon when he got near the peak. Would his cousin be worried? They hadn’t discussed anything about time. If his uncle learned about what he was doing, he would likely be upset—and furious. But then, it was for a good reason—hopefully.
The peak was in view, and so was the nest, bigger than he’d expected. One thing he hadn’t considered was how he would bring down the egg. But then, had that been part of the challenge? Or just retrieving it? The First Mage’s words were a mush in his head. No wonder wisdom got overlooked so often, if he could forget simple instructions for a potentially deadly challenge.
One thing that was worrying him was that he was hearing no chirping or shrieking or any bird sounds. There should be a bird if there was a nest, right? He was sure the dragon had mentioned a bird, not a snake or anything like that. Taking into consideration the size of the nest, that was a potential danger he’d need to be aware of. Fel had no weapons and no magic, and in fact didn’t even want to fight an innocent bird who had nothing to do with his problems. But perhaps the bird was gone or something.
Slowly, paying a lot of attention to his surroundings, he approached the nest. There was only one egg, golden, not nearly as big as Fel would have expected, more like an oversized melon. Still no birds. Something about it made Fel uncomfortable, but he couldn’t figure out why. If anything, having no birds anywhere would only make things easier. The truth was that the challenge wasn’t as terrible as he had expected.
The tricky part now would be to bring the egg down. Fel paused, then decided to make a sling so that he could carry the egg down the cliff. He took off his shirt and was about to rip it, when something about the egg called his attention—an energy, not magic, but something similar to it. He took in a sharp breath and dropped his shirt. The egg—it had life in it—a fully formed bird who would burst through the shell very soon. He’d been thinking it would be an unfertilized egg, not this.
What did it matter? The First Mage had asked for it. Was Fel supposed to feel guilty about a bird now? And if that dragon was all wise and everything, he had his reasons. Fel swallowed. It was better to shut down those foolish thoughts. He had to save his kingdom, had so much to do, he needed his magic and his human form. What was a bird compared to all of that?
Love. Although he couldn’t see the parents, he could sense love surrounding it like a blanket, protecting it. This little life had a mother protecting it, perhaps looking for food right now. Could Fel steal this bird from its loving mother?
The Great Dragon had asked for it, though. Maybe he had not known it had a bird in it.
Fel sighed. All this indecision was stupid. His sister enjoyed hunting, and they both ate meat. Not only that, he had killed people, real people who probably had not chosen to attack Umbraar, who were just following orders. But then… It still felt different from stealing a hatchling from a bird who was waiting for it, who loved it. Its mother had to be around, or it wouldn’t have survived for so long. It wouldn’t be here, about to come to life.
Fel closed his eyes. If he wanted his magic, he’d need to pass this challenge. Perhaps there was something he didn’t understand about it, couldn’t see, perhaps there was some meaning. Maybe taking that egg wouldn’t be that bad.
No. He understood killing in a life-or-death situation, but this wasn’t it. There was something about this that felt wrong. Yes, he had killed people, people who likely hadn’t deserved it, but this still felt different.
The First Mage’s request came to him, and the possibility of death if in case of failure. But he was quitting, not failing—and there was a difference. Hopefully.
After glancing at the beautiful egg once more, Fel turned away from the nest, exhaling in relief. Strangely, it felt odd not to have any fire mixed with his breath now that he was human. Perhaps being a dragon was becoming natural to him, which was great, as this stupid decision would likely mean he’d be in that form for a long time.
Then he sensed something. Fel glanced back—and saw an enormous claw coming in his direction, with golden feathers.
There was no time to react, no time to fight—and hewouldfight for his life—legendary animal or not. If only he had his magic, if only… There was no point wishing.
That claw pushed Fel down the cliff. For a moment it felt unreal, only air below him, the feeling of nothingness around him. Then he was falling, doubting the grass would be enough to save him this time.
14
A Rare Relic
Naia stared at River, wondering what solution he had for his people.
River paused for a long moment, then took a deep breath. “I’ll speak with my father. My way. He’s very fond of mind games—”
“Are you going to use your magic?”
He shook his head. “I never use it, and to do it against a king… That could kill me. I mean verbal traps, deals. I also have to make sure I don’t hurt his pride. I’ll do it. You’ll be with me, but don’t leave my side. I’ll protect you.”
“I trust you.” And it was true. “But how are you going to prevent a conflict with the humans and guarantee the safety of Umbraar?”
“I’ll get my father to agree to send just a few fae, something like ten at most, and they’ll promise to be discreet and avoid humans. Would that work?”
Naia thought it was too few fae to feed a city, but perhaps it was a good start, and at the end of the day, River knew much more about his people than she did, so if he thought it was enough, it was enough. “If you think so, I have no reason to doubt you. We could go right away.”
River frowned and looked out the window. “Our times are similar. Facing my father is hard enough when he’s wide awake. I’m not sure I want to get him out of bed.”
