Scaling Mountains of Fire

Chapter 2

Sweat trickled down her forehead, gluing the loose strands of hair to her temples. One after the other her fists punched the rock in rapid succession. The pain didn't break the numbness in her fingers. More and more hits came, Dev exhaling through every punch to strengthen the blow. The sound of the cold wind whistled around her ears, but the coldness never reached her skin.

After the encounter with the Ambassador, Dev had commanded her armor to fold back into her neck brace, and ran through mountains. Sprinting, climbing, jumping as far as she could away from him, hoping the physical exertion would bring back sensation to her limbs. His smell still surrounded her.

The intense emotions couldn't be mistaken. Only one thing could possibly cause it solely with eye contact. Somehow, the Ambassador's soul had merged with Dev's, recognizing, and branding each other. Why him? Why had their souls matched as such? She couldn't comprehend why their souls connected. They were from completely different backgrounds and cultures. She had never heard of a Drakon being paired with another species. Yet again, the King never allowed most of them to cross the mountains.

She shook her head as she landed another jab against the stone. It had to be a mistake. There was no way she was mated to that. There had to be another explanation. Her next hit cracked the stone under her fist, lightning bolts splintering through the rock. Lightning. A shiver traveled down Dev's spine as she remembered the strength of the energy that had overcome her. She swore static pulsed at the end of her fingertips. No, there was no mistaking that feeling. He was her mate. The portal to his soul bared only truth. And yet, the tribe was doing everything to get rid of him as quickly as possible. She was on the forefront of that movement.

Finally, after hours of trying to rid that extra energy coursing through her veins, she reopened herself to the hive mind. Instantly, questions overwhelmed her.

Is everything alright, Dev? Krystal's voice boomed through the lot. Do you need any assistance?

Everything is alright. I am just training in the mountains to get ready for the trek, no need to be worried. Dev quickly replied.

Thankfully, she had used most of the pent-up energy from the encounter. The hive mind shouldn't be feeling anything from her anymore.

Are you sure? We felt some odd energy coming from your link. Krystal pressed on as other voices supported her.

Dev sighed aloud. Of course, they would be worried. She hadn't even begun to think what kind of feedback went back to the King. Was he worried as well? She shook her head again. No, he trusted her. He knew she was strong enough to face anything. Yet she couldn't stop the twinge in her heart that none of the voices in the hive mind was his.

—–

Balancing atop the cover of a lit street metal torch, the Drakon waited for the soldier to escort the Ambassador outside. It was a crisp night. The wind whistled around creating soft tussles of snow on the ground. Beams of moonlight reflected off the thin sheet of ice covering the obsidian walls of the tower. Dev had adorned her full armor. Thick obsidian scales covering her skin, the flexible breastplate attaching to her neck brace. Her hand shot up to the scales around her neck. The Ambassador would try to talk to her again, especially after she had bolted. After they had bonded.

She shook the nerve from her hands and concentrated on the stone doors once again. She had to get him to the stronghold swiftly. The trek wasn't terribly difficult for a shifter, their skin being immune to the cold and their eyes adapted to the snowy terrain. The beasts that lived within the forest usually left them alone. Traveling with a non-shifter, however, would slow them down immensely. If the wind wasn't too strong, the climb took her about half a day with flying. If it was too dangerous to take to the skies, it never took longer than a day. How long would it take this time?