The Wyvern's Gift

Chapter Fourteen

The valley between Cathia and Granatall had always served as a physical border between the two kingdoms. Not only was there the sense beast filled forest on the Granatall side, but the high mountains along the Cathian side were virtually impassable. Both sides referred to the place as a desolate no-man's land. The strong deterrents and lack of people made it an ideal location for the small troop of dragons that had made it their home.

Cave openings dotted the distant mountainside and they had burrowed their way deeper over centuries of living there. There had never been many to begin with, not that anyone had counted, but the valley was only capable of supporting the five adults and their offspring. In time they could pose a new threat to the warring kingdoms but had so far been content to act as the terrifying border control that kept all out war at bay.

None of these thoughts passed through Haelyn's mind as she hurtled head first through the air. It was only when she hit the warm stone gray scales that she even recalled the nickname Granatall had given the valley she and her companions had been walking directly towards. Any map but Wren's would have had it clearly labeled as Scorch Stone Valley thanks to the burn marks that striped the stone on the mountains.

Cool air wafted over Haelyn, thanks to the massive wings on either side of her that kept her precarious perch hovering in the air. She slowly sat up and twisted her body to look back at the cliff face she'd just been on. The male wyvern was clutching the crumbling dirt with his wing claws, eyeing his quarry and her new position with unease.

"You must be Haelyn, I was hoping we'd meet one day. Isra speaks very highly of you," came the voice in her head. It was steadier now and growing in clarity. While it didn't boom quite like she would have expected the voice of such a beast to, it did have a strange undertone of boulders tumbling over each other.

Haelyn gawked at the back of the gigantic head. A startled squeak caught in her throat when it turned and she was caught in the gaze of a massive silver eye. She opened her mouth to respond but the wind from his wings drowned out any noise she could have made.The air pressure pushed her flat against the scales and obscured her vision. Her entire body bounced when they landed and she heard the wyverns screeching slowly die off.

In a risky glance over the dragon's shoulder, Haelyn spotted the pair of beasts chattering up at the silent stony face. His chest rumbled as if in response and they scooped up their egg and headed back into their cave. The father shot a final disgruntled look at Haelyn.

"Haelyn, I know the tiny one on Isra is one of yours, but if you would be so kind as to tell me which of the other two legs are yours as well it would be most helpful," he said, once again directly in her mind. Haelyn quickly pointed out the four men intermixed among the remaining Cathians. "Instruct them to come forward, quickly."

Weylyn was the first to rush forward, dragging a heavily limping Evander with him. Fresh blood decorated his cutlass and the bandages on his leg had become almost too loose to stay on.

Haelyn slid down and landed in a heap on the ground next to them. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry I left you, it was the only way I could think to make everything work," she said in a rush. They didn't answer, pulling her into a tight hug instead.

"You are truly truly insane, Haelyn," Evander whispered. He pulled away only to be replaced by Yophiel who turned her side to side, checking for injuries.

"Where are Isra and Eva?" Haelyn asked, having not seen the pair since she'd hit the ground.

"Isra said it was urgent she return to your city," the dragon told her at the same time Yophiel informed her Eva had chosen to head back first with the vial.

Wren finally spoke from where he'd been keeping his distance. "What about the dragon? I feel like there's not enough being said about that right now."

"I like this one, tell him he may call me Beirunoch." The dragon lowered its head so one enormous eye was level with Wren. A second later, Beirunoch snarled as one of the mercenaries made a lunge for the group.

"Why can't you tell him your name?" Haelyn asked. She reached out for Wren's hand and pulled him in closer to her.

"A question for another time, little beastling. For now, I will take you out of this forest while the wyverns have their fun hunting," Beirunoch said. He laughed and it sent tremors through the ground. The Cathians were already doing their best to disperse back into the trees. A shadow darted past through the widest section of trees.

"Will they be able to catch them all?"Haelyn asked.

"Enough of them," he said. With a bit of coaxing they settled the entire group onto Beirunoch's back and held on for dear life as he took to the air. His wings made short work of the distance they'd spent so long carefully trekking across.

The forest sped by under them, though Haelyn and Wren were the only two who could lift their heads to look over the sides. Evander insisted from around torrents of wind that the only time he wished to be that far above ground was while on the ocean. He was the first to scramble for the ground when they landed a mile past one of the outskirt farms of Granatall. It would still be a few hours walk back to the city. They'd be lucky to reach the castle before midnight.

"Thank you, for taking us so far," Haelyn called up to Beirunoch while the others hurried away on shaky legs.

Weylyn looked back at the pair as they spoke, just far enough away that he couldn't catch the one audible half of the conversation. "Do you think attracting giant lizards is just part of her blood?" he wondered aloud.

"Wouldn't want to get tangled up in that," Evander added, still green even after emptying the contents of his stomach.

"Might not be so bad," Wren muttered. Before they could question him he was shouting for Haelyn to hurry up and turning to the main road. Beirunioch's wings nearly flattened a nearby tree when he launched himself into the sky. The little group struggled to stay on their knees.

A loud sigh came from Yophiel. "He could have at least set us down closer to where we left the horses," he whined. The tall knight adjusted his sword to hang more comfortably along his hip.

"Oh come on now, Yoph, what's a bit of a walk to the champions of Granatall?" Evander asked. He dug into his pack with the hand he didn't have slung over Weylyn's shoulders. When he pulled his hand out a shiny red ocarina sat in his palm. He had some difficulty getting one hand to function as two over the four holes but somehow he managed. The first notes of an upbeat sea shanty wafted on the breeze as the sun slowly sank behind them.