Fated - Book 1 (Completed)

Chapter 9

After a short debate, I was finally able to get her up and wrapped around Neim's saddle. I looked up at where she sat, and my heart suddenly felt heavy at the view above me. Her lips were pinched tight as her fear took control of her mind."My Lord?"The stable boy's voice was a whisper beside me. The boy was crouched over with his hands locked, ready to boost me up my dragon's body and up over the saddle. I have always struggled to mount Neim; the stable boys always made sure one of them was around to assist with boosting me up.Once I was settled in the seat and my feet locked into the fixed stirrups, something small fell into my back. Short arms swung around me and tried to claw at the white hook between my legs. Her fingers barely held onto the knob, so, trying her best, she wiggled her hips closer to me. Eventually, she had a slight grip on the wooden handle, making me smile like an idiot at the sweet, innocent sight."Ready?"I spoke loud enough for her to hear; I could feel her body tense behind me as she nodded her head against my back. With that, I patted the base of Neim's neck, giving him the signal that I was ready for him to slowly stand.The beast let out a rumble of mixed growls to alert everyone around him that he was about to move. The soft sound of scurrying footsteps filled the air, followed by the heavy sloshing of Neim's belly dragging along the stone floor under him.The smaller dragons that used the cave followed the noise and flittered off. As Neim's large, thick paws hit the stone under him, sending heavy vibrations through my body, the small body behind me squeezed her arms tighter around me but never lifted her hands from the horn.Neim took his time, dragging his snake-like tail behind him as he slowly turned to face the mouth of the cave. From where I was nestled, I could see the Red Sea shores; the waves were lazily lapping at its black beaches, and the breeze that rushed us suddenly was salty, welcoming and calling for us to glide in it.A broken growl left the dragon's throat once he slivered his way towards the edge of the mouth of the cave; his long, thick neck dropped off the edge, and his large head lazily bobbed as he tried to drink in the salty breeze."Oh, Gods that's high."Her body somehow tensed some more behind me; I could feel her try to hide her face on the surface of my back to hide the frightening drop from her sight. A smile slipped onto my lips. My princess had a fear of heights and dragons, and she didn't even bother to hide it."Eitil."The word for fly left my lips with a growl. I spoke loud enough for Neim to hear me over the strong winds that hit the side of the cliff. The beast's head curled up as his bottom jaw dropped, and a deep, monstrous roar ripped through his throat and echoed over the blue waters below.My small smile twisted and grew into a grin as the thrill washed over me. Our bodies slowly fell forward as the beast started to dip and push himself off the edge of the cliff. The strong winds hit my chest the moment we fell. A scream followed as the sensation took over my mind.Aurora's high-pitched scream was swallowed down immediately by the strong wings as we plummeted to the ground. I was pleased that my body was protecting her from the strong winds as we fell.My fingers dug into my saddle's built-in handles as I leant down, bringing the small being with me. As I followed my instinct and training, we huddled close to the dragon's body during the drop to avoid being blown off by the rushing updraft.The sound of leather flapping in the winds hit my ears hard, and suddenly, as Neim opened his wings, instantly at the sound, I pulled my body back, flowing with the beast's movements as he lazily pulled his large body up and away from the approaching black beaches.Once we were up, my body fell forward once again, and the small being behind me followed my actions without hesitation as the dragon slowly ascended. His heavy wings rose with the wind and fell again to give him a final boost.When we were high enough, we tilted slightly. The sound of wood hitting the rushing waves below made me look down at the bright blue waters. He was showing off as he dragged the tip of his wing through the ocean's crashing waves as we turned to fly over the land.Our bodies tilted one last time as Neim straightened his heavy body in the lazy winds that washed over the land. My breathing was heavy, and my heart pounded in my chest as our bond was final.My eyes widened as the colours of my view shifted to those of Neim's. The landscape under us was sharper now, brighter, and my once blue eyes shifted to match the sea green shade of my dragons. My other senses soon followed, and my ears popped and adjusted to the winds hitting us. My nostrils flared as the scents of the spring season filled my nose.My heart never settled, though; it was pounding in my chest. The sensation confused me. Neim's heartbeat was always slow, heavy, and lazy, but my heart was pounding in my chest. I looked down in an attempt to see why my hidden organ was pounding this way.A small hand was gripping my chest; her knuckles were a pale white as she squeezed the red material between her fingers as tight as she could. My breath caught in my chest as I saw her other hand doing the same, just lower down my body, and just as pale.To ease her, I released the saddle and ran my fingers over her covered arms. Her black coat seemed to make her already pale skin stand out, or it could have been Neim's eyesight that made the colours seem more intense.Nonetheless, I slowly traced my fingers over her tight hands in an attempt to ease her and myself. The grumbled extra voice in my head told me that she wasn't going to hurt me. Neim tried his best to calm my inner panic and growing fear."No harm, boy, safe."The words rolled through my head over and over, but the fear was still there. Once I traced her knuckles once again, she slowly released the material her hands were holding hostage, and relief washed over me as she allowed me to guide her shaking hands to the hook where they should have been.I froze slightly and squeezed her hands before guiding them to lock around my waist. The little being eagerly took my permission and hugged her shaking body tighter to mine. A smile suddenly fluttered across my lips at the sight of her pale hands and covered arms acting as a belt around my waist."Slάn."The word safe left my thoughts, putting the beast at ease and allowing his attention to refocus on his natural skill of flying over the green lands and toward our destination. Aurora's body slowly softened behind me as we flew.Once she felt safe, I could feel her get restless behind me. She was turning slightly to get a view of the lands under us; she could see the largest town under us as we glided over it. The town below us was what surrounded the castle where we lived; she couldn't see the bustling life in the streets like I could at the moment.Beyond the town walls were vast fields and long, snaking roads that branched out towards other kingdoms and smaller farming villages that held families who tended to the fields and animals.My mind drifted, just as it always did when I was flying. The reports my uncles had gathered for me played in my mind's eye, as I tried to break them down to make sense of what to expect.There was no set pattern to the attacks and no set cause behind them either; the only thing common between them all was the manner of disposal of the homes and bodies; everything was burned.The bodies that weren't burned to ash showed the usual signs of being beaten ruthlessly, and then either their throats were slit, almost leading to decapitation or their heads were smashed in either by a rock or a large maul.From the remnants of the ashes, it looked as if the homes weren't raided, although gold or silver was scattered along the streets, making these attacks senseless killings within the southern borders. I took on this task to see if the riders could find something that the scouts would have missed.Riders were the only ones in the South who could use magic freely without following the laws of nature; the bond we had with our dragons was what allowed this, so I knew the scouts would have missed something, no matter how small.Suddenly I could see the scorched ground; the black markings reminded me of a dragon's devastating flame. When they did release their flames, nothing survived, and the radius was much larger than the scorched land ahead. Yet this blob of black ash reminded me of their flames.Neim circled the ruins slowly, slightly dipping in, giving me a better view of the troubling sight. Along the edges, I could see three horses lazily grazing. A white mare caught my attention; she bore a brown saddle decorated with heavy golden chains, and a large spear was nestled close to her hip—Aziel's horse.As we circled the site, I studied the ashy remains and tried my best to find the bodies that rode the horses there, but I couldn't see them; not a single trace of them was found, not even footsteps in the heavy soot down below.Neim's heavy body elegantly circled the ruins once more before he heavily fell to a nearby field a few yards away from the burned village. Aurora's grip tightened around me as we landed heavily, and our bodies bounced in the saddle. A groan left my lips as my groyne stung suddenly. We bounced hard, and I landed on something I shouldn't have.The dragon hurriedly landed on the soft ground and immediately sank into it with a low growl. His body sank further into the ground, allowing him immediate comfort, but we were still too high off the ground for us to simply jump down, well, for Aurora anyway.Once the beast settled, I scanned the land once more. Our bond never broke, and it wouldn't until we both agreed on it. I scanned the quiet grounds, looking for any sign of life besides the grazing horses, who were now lazily looking at us.They never fled from the dragon; they never flinched; they simply looked up at us from their grazing spots, then sheepishly returned to chewing on the green grass under them. I adjusted my eyesight and squinted my eyes. My sight zoomed into the horses; they had their full saddles on, large weapons, and the objects I was looking for—water canisters still tucked in their bags.I drew a sharp breath before looking down at the grass under us. The ground wasn't soft enough to cushion my landing, but I needed to get down. I patted Neim's neck nook to let him know about our movements before I swung my leg around the saddle."Alright, once I'm down, I'll call you, then jump down, and I'll catch you."The princess nodded, then looked down at the ground below. A frown crossed her brow, but before she could chatter away, I slipped down the saddle and slid down Neim's body. The sudden force of the ground under my feet sent a radiation shock through my body, and the sound of me hitting the ground barely reached my ears.Something was wrong; the sound wasn't travelling through the air. My eyes shifted slightly as I scanned the land from ground level, but there were still no signs of life, not even a butterfly twitching its wings.Slowly, I pushed myself up, my eyes fixed on the horizon, where the burnt ruins sat. The view seemed to waver slightly as if heat were still radiating out of the ground; it wasn't possible. My head tilted slightly in hopes that it was just the view playing tricks on my mind, but nothing changed.I turned on my toes to face Neim's body, but my head didn't twist in time with it, and suddenly something hit me hard: my arms flung out to grab at the sudden object, my arms wrapped around a familiar frame, Aurora.A sweet giggle flooded my ears as I hugged her small figure in my arms. I held her tight as my left leg slid back to help me keep my wobbling balance. She jumped the crazy woman jumped without my saying so."I said to wait for me to call you."Her arms snaked their way around my neck as she held onto me, her giggle still ringing in my ear as I held her body tight and close to mine. Slowly, I put her feet on the ground."I saw something I wanted and needed to get down."My brows twisted into a frown as a sigh left my lips—such an impatient woman."What did you want?"I looked down into bright green eyes and was suddenly pulled down by my hair. Her lips were soft against mine, warm, and tasted sweet as her tongue slithered its way into my mouth. My hands dug into her hips as I tugged her closer for a deeper kiss.Soft lips slowly pulled away from me. I was drunk from her taste and followed her movements blindly. Her hands slipped down from my hair and onto my jaw. Her thumb gently traced the scar that trailed down the left side of my face. My eyes shot open as I suddenly jerked back.My eyes landed on a frightened face; her eyes weren't on my face; instead, they were focused on my gloved hand wrapped around her wrist. I was squeezing her wrist and pulling it a few inches away from my skin.A weak smile crossed my lips as I turned to kiss the palm of her hand. A small smile crossed her lips as I released her wrist. She pulled her arm back and rubbed at her wrist. I must have squeezed it tighter than I thought."Stay close to me."She looked up at me, puzzled at my words."Why? It's just a barrier spell."This time, the confusion slid over my face. I was about to query her knowledge of the magic until she traced her finger under my right eye."Strange, your pretty blue eyes look like Neim's shade of green."The frown slipped from my brows as my smile took over under her gentle touch. She looked so innocent and sweet as she looked up at me."I'll explain the bond later, but right now those sweet lips of yours need to spill what you know about that barrier."She lowered her hand and dropped it on one of mine. She gently tugged and made me turn to face the ruins. Her free hand danced in the air as it made an arch motion while she tried to outline the hidden object.As I saw earlier, something seemed to waver over the ruins, as if it were heat waves dancing up from the ground, but watching her finger, I saw a slight shimmer of pinks and purples dancing above the burnt-down village."Witches."I growled the word out of my lips; somehow, it made me feel sick as I said it like that."No, my silly prince."Her voice mocked me. I rolled my head down to look at her, just in time to see her roll her eyes at me. My jaw twitched at her insolence, but all I wanted to do was laugh at her response."Elven magic shimmers under the light, like fairy dust; witch magic barely leaves a trace; you need to look deeper for those traces."This time she rolled her eyes up to me and winked up at me as she showed off her knowledge."It's strange though; I wasn't aware of elves being part of the dragon's court."My anger washed over my heart at her words."They're not, so why the fuck are they interfering with our affairs?"My eyes danced off her face and onto the site before us. There was no sign of elves, no sign of my horsemen, and not a single sign of Aziel. What the hell was going on behind that barrier?"Well, there's only one way to find out."Before I could grasp at her arm and tug her back, the little vixen was gone. She skipped happily towards the ruins, without a weapon, without a plan, and me. Hurriedly, I turned to Neim, who was in a blissful sleep.After a pat on the beast's body, I turned around and followed my bride's tracks. My eyes stayed locked on her ass while my ears twitched to muffled sounds. I couldn't pinpoint where they were coming from."Aurora, slow down; we don't know what's behind that barrier."The woman ignored me as she made her way towards a dusty old road that ran down the centre of the ruined village."Oh, relax; I think I see Aziel!"She was two or three steps ahead of me as she turned up the road. She pointed ahead with a large grin across her lips. Once I caught up with her, I turned to face the ruins. Down the road, I could see a figure that resembled Aziel and two of the South's warriors, but across from them were strange figures that I couldn't place.My hand reached out for the woman, but she was gone, skipping her way towards the ruins. Her pristine figure suddenly faded and turned into a twisted shadow to match the other six or seven figures beyond the shimmering barrier.My chest pulled as she vanished. I suddenly struggled to breathe as an unknown sensation washed over me. The sight of her distorted figure caused a new fear to surface in me. My instincts took over as a sleeping core part of me woke up suddenly.My feet shuffled me forward on their own. My hand reached down to my upper thigh, where a leather band sat with an empty holster. My fingers automatically twirled as I summoned a silver hilt to form in my hand.As I slipped past the barrier, I pulled my blade out; the silver shimmered and sang a high-pitched screech as my blade took on its physical form. I stopped as soon as her scent hit my nose.There above her head was Aziel. He held a dagger behind his back as his free arm danced around in the air. He slowly turned to face me without exposing the weapon he was holding."Here, hold this; don't drop it."I handed her the blade that now sang a soft song as its blade shortened into a dagger. It was a weapon created for my needs; its silver hilt was carved from my first dragon's tooth, and it was infused with her magic. Each rider had one. Current and retired soldiers carried their tooth blades with them constantly.The tooth was bent and twisted by the elders of dragon keepers; they always used the first baby tooth that a dragon lost. The weapon shifts and melts into different shapes, depending on what we need at the time.I left my bride with a weapon to make sure she was safe as I stalked my way towards Aziel. He had turned his attention back to the unknown figures and started to yammer once again."As I said, gentlemen, my prince will be here soon, so there is no need for you to be here."The stench of burnt wood washed over me; the barrier had distorted my sight from above; the ground was scorched deeper than I could see from above; and a strong scent of jasmine was hidden under the burnt wood scent, a dragon flame trade scent.My fingers traced the hand behind Aziel's back as I approached them; instantly, he twisted his blade and slipped it back into the holster that was set snugly at his lower back. There before him stood four elves, whose golden hair and bright lilac eyes gave them away."Prince Artemis."The man spoke with air in his tone. I hated elves; they looked down on every creature in Endora, especially those that held the dragon bloodline and called themselves royals, yet somehow they were a trusted party that held an old treaty with the dragons."Nesterin, care to explain your presence?"The tallest of them twitched as I used his name. I dropped his title as a way to piss him off. The man was slightly taller than me but was at least a head taller than the men in front of him. He slipped past the man who mumbled my name and glared at me with his large eyes."My King sent me and my men to the site; he believes a dragon is to blame for this destruction."The accusation in his tone made me growl. I took a step forward but was suddenly stopped as a small hand tugged on my wrist and a heavier hand landed on my shoulder."Lord Nesterin, it's been a while."Her tone was bittersweet as she slipped past me. Before she took her place before me, she slid my blade back into my hand. She was small in comparison to the elf."Lady Aurora, the last time I saw you, well, you were visiting my king."Narrowed eyes darted up to me once again. My growl vibrated through my chest, but the heavy hand on me held me in place. Aziel was my voice of reason when it came to the elves; he had to be, or who knows how many times either of us would have caused a war between our states."Yes, I was there to inform the king of my prenuptial, but he wasn't there. It's a pity I wished to have one last goodbye with the Elven King. Now back to my husband, I believe he asked you a question: What brings you to this side of the southern border?"The elf's lips twisted into a half-smirk as she spoke about his king. What was her relationship with the king? Her tone changed suddenly, and so did Nesterin's face."My King believes a dragon was the cause behind the villages being destroyed; he has sent me to confirm his belief before he sends our army to find the rabid beast and put it down."Now both Aziel and I growled at the man's words. The elves took pride in hunting down our rouge dragons; unfortunately, it was the only duty they had within the southern borders. This time she turned to look over her shoulder at us; her cold stare made us both stop in our tracks.We watched as she turned her full, cold attention to the elf, who looked like he wanted to run away from her.