Page 120 of Gate of Chaos


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I ignited the tips of my scales and horns. Chaotic porcupine mode: engaged. My body became less corporeal as I slid into whatever theheavywas and my magical spikes ripped a hole in theheavylike a fingernail snagging stockings.

The death-moan became more distant but was replaced by something that felt like grief.

Was I flying through aerosolized banshee?

My fangs tingled with glee as I tore through it all. Auryn flew alongside me, light exuding from deep in his hide and scales with the tips sparkling, the soft light spreading out through the clouds. Our respective auras mingled and crackled along the storm front where they met.

Auryn and I broke above the cloud top first, into a twilight sky. Below us, the clouds continued their swirling. In the distance were more, different clouds on another layer of atmosphere, but here, it was clear. We’d had to come up high enough the air was thinner here, but still breathable. Mostly. The winds still blew, but were glideable if one wanted to do their best living kite impression.

So the star (sun?) wasthatway, and the night side of the planet was thatotherway.

In some of the media from Homeworld, there had been striking time-lapse videos from the sunlight-side and a sliver of orange star had entirely rotated around the horizon, and it had been eternal dawn. We didn’t have a lot of the dawn-tinged sky, so we must have been closer to the night side.

Akoni arrived, followed by Keon. Keon’s wings glowed bright green in the membranes, indicating he was using what little magic he had to maintain flight. Akoni’s wings glowed slightly as well, and he radiated warmth. He wasn’t a very strong flyer, either.

“There.” Auryn’s voice was like a whisper against my scales, carried by his magic.

In thefardistance, almost at the edge of my sight and visible only because of shadow, was a cluster of three mountain peaks that rose out from the initial cloud layer and disappeared into the next layer. I chirped. The three peaks looked an awful lot like a mountain formation we’d seen pictures of. Its name had been the Three Consorts. The range dated back to the very beginning of the dragon’s post-god era, and were some of the tallest mountains on Homeworld, and there had actually been a portal up there because supposedly it had been amazingly beautiful. From the pictures I’d seen, it was probably where dragons had developed the tradition of building beautiful gardens and retreats on the topmost level of their roosts.

If those were the Three Consorts, that put us about eight hundred Earth miles west of the Capital City, and a hundred miles from the night side in an extremely rural part of the twilight zone.

I chirped and swooped around Keon, then pointed with my taildown, then quirked the tip in a hook.

Keon nodded.

I ignited the tips of my scales into chaotic thorns.

I dove for the clouds, angry sparkling ribbons pulling off my scales.

I laughed at it and twirled about, smashing every little bit of it within reach. My scales burned brighter, magenta-white hot, ribbons tore around me, extending behind me and lashing at the shaking wake I left, shattering any hope it had of re-forming. Gossamer threads broke off like thorns to lodge in the clouds.

I don’t know what you are, but I don’t like you.

We burst through the cloud layer.

Auryn’s ropes entangled with my ribbons as we hovered under the clouds. Magic dripped off his scales in liquid light drops. The smothering feeling returned full force. Keon’s light snuffed out, and I chirped as he tottered in the sky, but he managed to make a landing before his wings gave out completely. He collapsed into the clay, coughing and wheezing.

Akoni flopped when he landed as well, wings splayed out along the clay while he gulped in deep breaths and his scales quivered with exertion.

Keon hacked and coughed violently. He was too tired to even tuck his wings against his sides.

I shifted into land form and nervously tucked my wings against my side. Akoni pressed close, still metallic and squishy, and rubbed his cheek against mine with a comforting purr, even though his bi-colored gaze watched Keon with worry and his own scales quivered with exhaustion.

It felt like it took forever until Keon stopped coughing every third breath, and his sides stopped heaving. Auryn had woven a strange magic membrane—perhaps similar to Jahlim’s gills—and wrapped it around Keon’s snout to filter out the fine dust.

Keon’s breathing still wheezed. “I’m fine now.”

“Quiet,” Auryn ordered.

Akoni shook out his wings and launched himself back into the air.

I nibbled Keon’s finlets. Keon grumbled and shook his neck, but I ignored him and kept nibbling. It was very soothing. “I won’t bite. I mean, with my fangs and all. Unless Daddy Auryn says I may.”

Mischief literally sparkled on Auryn’s scales. “You may not.”

Not that Keon was really into being roughed up. He went along with a little spice for the fun of it, but he preferred to smother with kindness and wring me dry in the most gentle and tender way possible. He took great pride in turning me into quivering pudding.

Akoni returned, this time carrying the satchel of supplies we’d brought. “The complex is about six miles that way.”

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