The Wyvern's Gift

Chapter Six

The night went by surprisingly smoothly. Wren and Yophiel had switched guard duty halfway through and neither had seen anything alarming all night. The only noises had come from the animals rustling through the bushes and Isra's snoring. Wren had given them only enough time to stuff field rations into their mouths before he urged them forward.

"We should reach the nest before nightfall if we can keep this pace," Wren called back. He seemed less concerned about the volume of his voice. It could have had something to do with Isra crashing through the trees everytime she landed to check on Haelyn and their progress.

"I can't keep up this pace," Evanora called from the back.

"Do you need to be carried?" Weylyn teased. He had not expected her to say yes and grumbled with every step as he carried her on his back. From there she was able to point out everything they passed and comment on the speed of their journey.

"New rule, if you're not walking, you can't talk," Haelyn said as she passed them.

"I agree with this immensely," Weylyn said quickly.

"You can't make the rules, Yophiel has the king's crest so he makes the rules, and he likes me best because I'm his aunt so I can make rules," Evanora argued.

The three of them turned and looked at Yophiel questioningly. The knight did his best to avoid their eyes by closely examining a leaf. "We should stop and refill our canteens," he called up to Wren.

"There's a river in about a mile, we'll stop then."

The bickering continued until they reached the river. Once there, Yophiel finally turned to address them. "Do you both see this?" He shook the King's crest at them. The bronze medallion glinted in the sunlight. "This is not a toy for your amusement, it's a serious symbol of authority." He went on to describe the responsibilities bestowed upon him and their meaning, shaking the crest for emphasis.

Across the way, Isra's eyes were locked onto the gleaming piece of metal. Her golden eyes narrowed and her lilac wings spread.

"What...what is she doing?" Evander whispered as the dracontix began to move towards the arguing trio.

"Oh, she's just playing," Haelyn answered. The forest went silent, almost holding its breath as the reptile inched forward. "It's fine, totally fine." A gust of wind moved over Isra's wings and made a soft whistle.

Yophiel turned and she pounced. He scrambled to the side, narrowly avoiding her. For every dodge he managed, she was ready and waiting for him."Haelyn, get your beast away from me!"

"She isn't going to hurt you," Haelyn called back.

Wren made a small grunt of disbelief behind her and she turned to face him.

"He'll be fine," she promised. The commotion behind her worsened as Weylyn jumped to tackle Yophiel out of the way of a particularly well timed pounce. "She wouldn't hurt a fly." A wave of hot air washed over them.

"Fire, Haelyn, fire!" Evander shouted, throwing himself into the river. Sure enough, Isra had begun to spew a torrent of fire at the two men. They were running out of ground to run to. Soon enough they would be enclosed in a ring of fire.

"I'll just...go see about that," Haelyn muttered. She ducked her head under Wren's intense scrutiny. Now Haelyn was running after Isra, waving her arms frantically as she called for her to stop.

Wren crossed his arms and watched them run from one end of the clearing to the other. The fire was slowly spreading. It would be a miracle if no one came to investigate. He sighed with his face in his hands. An echoing sigh by his side made him turn.

"Kids, huh?" Evanora said from where she stood by his elbow. The fire's glow washed over her white hair, coloring it in shifting orange shadows. There was a look of excitement in her eyes as she watched them run back and forth. Even her stern frown couldn't hide it. "What are we going to do about them?"

The ranger didn't answer, choosing to walk away following the river. He passed Evander who was desperately trying to soak his clothes. "The wyverns are just ahead, I'm going to scout it out. Keep an eye on..." He gestured at the chaos behind him.

"Don't leave me here," Evander whispered.

The sounds of his boots crunching over leaves and sticks faded quickly under the screaming and crackling fire. Haelyn's shouts had become a high pitched screech, only matched by Weylyn's panicked screams.

"She wants the crest!" Haelyn called out.

"Give her the crest! Give her the crest!" Evander yelled.

"No! This is a symbol of my honor and status and responsi- hey!" he cut off abruptly when Weylyn grabbed the crest from his hand.

Isra froze, her eyes leaving Yophiel for the first time. Her wings trembled and she tensed her legs. The last thing she expected was for Weylyn to throw the crest high in the air. It flew forward in a slow arc and she leapt to catch it by the red cord.

"There, it was that easy," Weylyn said between heavy breaths. He fell flat on his back with his arms spread out to either side.

"But, that's the king's," Yophiel said.

"He'll get over it," Haelyn muttered. They all fought to catch their breath, coughing in the smoke that filled the air.

Evanora had her arms outstretched. A deep orange glow covered her hands and pulsed in time with the flames. Each time she flexed her fingers, the fire died down a little more. It was nearly gone before anyone thought to ask about Wren.

"He said he was going to scout out the nest," Evander told them.

"I did," Wren said as he reentered the clearing. "There's something you all need to see."