"Okay, brother. Now that I'm back, we have to continue this cure, because if I'm right . . . today's your last day."
"How'd you figure that out?" Humpback asked.
"First day I erased father's memory, got the anemone, and the eel. Day two I got kidnapped. Day three was spent flying. Day four was the time I got the dream, and it was on the unclaimed territory. Day four was spent flying again. Day five was in the Kingdom of Sand, Vulture's dungeon. Day six was getting captured by SkyWings, and we spent two days there - "
"So this would be the eighth day," Humpback said with a smile. I looked at him, panic bubbling inside of me. How is he so calm - ?
"Turns out that the closer you are to getting the cure, the more days you have to live. For example, we got three of the things, right? The anemone, father's memory, and the eel. So now, instead of having a week to live, I have three extra days!"
"What?!" I asked. "You mean we can actually do this and you won't die?!"
"Yep. Now, let's go together. I'll tell mother that I'll keep you safe, and that if anyone tries to kidnap us, we'll fight them." Humpback winked. "You know what I mean." I nodded.
"Great. I'll come with you."
Humpback and I dove into the ocean. Humpback explained everything to Coral, and after a while, she nodded and let us go.
"Okay, let's go. You said to go . . . "
"I said to follow the Kingdom of the Sea until we get to the Kingdom of Mud, and then we go to the Scavenger Den. There's a small hut next to it. That's where she lived."
"Let's go then."
After a while, we dove down into the mud, which squelched beneath my talons. I shook it off and follow my brother, who led me to a small area that had tall and small buildings. It was the scavenger den, evidently.
"This way," Whispered Humpback. I followed him, wings tucked closely to my side. Humpback beckoned me over to a shape sticking out of the ground a few meters away from the end of the scavenger den.
"Okay." I said. "So I just . . . go in there? Can't you come?"
"No, I explained this to you on the way, Orca." My brother said. "There's a curse there. Any animus that was alive at that time when the spell was cast can't go in there."
"Great," I mumbled. "I'm all alone again." I ducked into the slightly decomposing hut and looked around for some sort of glimmer of a gemstone.
Okay . . . where can I find a gemstone? Here? Of course, but what if someone else already took one? Ugh. I HATE not knowing things! But, maybe if I look carefully and patiently . . . aha.
I walked over to a small gemstone that was tucked away, hidden by a small thing that could have been lamb skin at some point.
Picking up the stone, I recognized it as a bloodstone. I walked out of the hut, still staring at the gem.
"You got it?" Humpback said, startling me out of my trance.
"Oh, um, yeah. Here." I showed him the gemstone, and he grabbed it. Then he gestured for me to follow him back to the Kingdom of the Sea . . . and then my stomach flipped at the thought of the next task that lay ahead.
This one's going to have to wait until nighttime, I thought. Poor father's going through a lot.
YOU ARE READING
Dragons Rising: My Mistake Changed My Kingdom {Book One}
FantasyI don't own Wings of Fire or the picture. This is just something I made up, it did not actually happen in the series. Princess Orca was always thought of as a villain after Wings of Fire: The Lost Heir. Before that, she was loved. But how loved was...
