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River then realized she needed a better introduction, and said, “She’s my chosen life companion. Her name is Irinaia Umbraar, and she’s a human princess. Half dragon. You can call her Naia.” He then pointed at his sister. “This is Anelise, my older sister.”
Naia smiled and extended her hand. “I’m glad to meet you.”
Anelise looked at her. Ancients were not used to handshakes. Still, she pulled the sleeve of her dress, so that her hand wouldn’t touch Naia’s, and shook it. “Metal magic. Id’ rather not touch you directly.”
“Oh.” Naia pulled her hand. “I’m the one who’s sorry.”
He’d wasted enough time here. The library was calling him. “Anelise, I know you have tons of things to do, but could you take a moment and talk to her? Tell her… Would you mind doing that? I’ll be right back.”
Naia’s eyes were wide. “I thought…”
He kissed her lips briefly. “You’re safe here. Trust me.”
River didn’t even leave the room, but dissolved right back into the hollow and then appeared in the library. His memories of this place were both sweet and bitter. Sweet with so much knowledge he’d gotten, but bitter with the feeling that more and more his only choice had been to become a disappointment to his father.
This library had some thirty rooms, varying from small to medium, with specialized books divided by topics. There was also an area, down below, with some rare objects, and what he wanted was down there.
No, that didn’t make sense. He had to research death grass, find information, find a way to resist it. What would he want with that old dagger? Where had that idea even come from? Crazy thoughts.
Why was he getting so confused?
He slipped into the hollow again, and then was in the safe below the library, where the most dangerous objects were contained. There, he saw it, golden with a ruby-encrusted handle. He took it and was taken by relief, satisfaction, and delight. He had what he needed.
* * *
Fel wasable to beat his wings just enough not to hit the surface of the ocean with a damaging impact. He felt the enemies below him, and kept them submerged. That didn’t change the fact that some five dragons were flying in his direction. He strangled one of them with his own armor, but that left him four enemies way too close.
He was spreading his wings and floating in the ocean.
Tzaria then flew in his direction. “Get out of the water. Now. Now!”
His wings hurt, but he made an effort, and left the ocean, right as a boundless sent a blast of—what? It was some kind of electric current.
She added, “Stay afloat in the air, no matter what.”
So he’d been lucky on his way here that none of his adversaries had that strange fire. Tzaria then flew above Fel, as if to shield him. There was no way she would be able to fight that many dragons at once.
He then felt something different, something on his back. He’d felt it before, but it couldn’t be. Then he sensed her: Leah. He wasn’t sure how she’d gotten here, but he knew that this was too dangerous for her.
“You have to leave.” He sent her that thought, unsure if she would hear it, unsure even if she was capable of going anywhere.
Above Tzaria, he felt some pieces of metal armor. His magic was getting sharper, more precise. He strangled four dragons at once, and then six more. Their bodies fell into the ocean. Then there were no more boundless.
“I’ll see you around,” Tzaria said. “Be very careful.”
She flew away from him, and then the other dragons were flying in his direction. There was a strange murmur among them, along with surprise, relief, and euphoria.
Part of the murmur then got clear. “The iron dragon.”
His cousin approached him, with some blood on his neck. His uncle was also close by. Meanwhile, two dragons traced a circle in the sky. A dragon carried a human body through it, and then the six others crossed it.
“Follow us,” his uncle said.
Fel did, and came to a strange place over mountains, from where he crossed another fire ring in the air, and came to the dragon city. Tzaria hadn’t followed them. They landed right in the middle of the round plaza, and Fel collapsed, careful not to hurt Leah.
“Who’s she?” Ekateni asked.
“My betrothed,” Fel lied. Well, it wasn’t that much of a lie.
