The Order of Dragonfire

Chapter 29

"I'm sorry, Alexia." Lucian said, approaching her nervously as she tended Ava's horse. It was the first time they had spoken in a couple of days. Alex had cut herself off from the rest of the group, riding a short distance from them and rarely speaking to anyone. She gazed solemnly towards the Edge as the rising sun slowly appeared over it. It was the last place she had seen Ava before they had ventured over the mountains.

"It's not your fault." Alex sighed begrudgingly. She knew she couldn't really blame him, and if she did then she was all the more to blame. She had released the dragon, after all.

"Booker says we should reach Serpensbane within the day. The terrain is looking a little more like how I remembered it..." He said, looking around the desert. They weren't far from the forest and there was still shrubbery around them, but Alex was still relieved to be back at the familiar territory she had seen right at the start of her journey. It wouldn't be long before they were back in Mienola.

"I'm not really in the mood for small talk, to be honest." She said, climbing on to the back of the steed. It seemed that everyone else was preparing to set off and Alex had no intention of making them wait. 

"I understand." He nodded. Booker approached the pair of them with a concerned look on his face.

"Alex, I am aware that this is a trying time for you, but I'm afraid we have urgent business." He said in a hushed tone. "You may remember there is a cliff face a few miles west of here. I sent scouts to survey the land below to see if the path was safe. They did not bring back good news."

"What's the problem?" She asked disinterestedly.

"A tribe of near one thousand people is gathering there, with more approaching on the horizon. We do not know if they are the tribe you traveled with or another group, but whoever they may be I do not expect they will allow us to travel unimpeded."

"...I see." Alex said, struggling to believe her heart had managed to sink even further. She knew it was Thorn's tribe, it had to be. But were they there for Alex? Quite possibly. From what she knew of Thorn he wasn't going to let anyone cross him and live.

"Didn't they recognise anyone?" Alex asked.

"No, but that does not necessarily mean anything. Even if they could pick out the people they saw near Dragon's Jaw amongst such a large crowd, I highly doubt they would be here. We came directly here as quickly as we could, it is highly unlikely that we would have been beaten. If they are of the same tribe then a message has been sent on ahead to them. Exactly how I do not know, though there are a number of possibilities."

"Right." She nodded. "So what do you want me to do?"

"If it is the same tribe then they are most likely here for you, at least primarily, and I thought it wise to warn you. Do not fear, with the dragonstones even such a large force is no threat to us.

Alex nodded again. She wasn't worried about them, she was still completely numb following the loss of Ava. This was still a painful obstacle on the dreadful journey back to Serpensbane, though. She was beginning to regret letting Thorn and his people live. Ava had known that they shouldn't have been allowed to leave. If only Alex had listened to her advice then they wouldn't be in this position.

The desert blurred around them as they flew through it at a breakneck pace. They had chosen the path carefully. Far to their right was the cliff face overlooking the valley the tribe was gathering in. It seemed that they had hoped to catch them unawares by hiding, or anticipated that they would be travelling within the valley and get cut off. There was an especially large cohort near the southern tip near the Edge, but Booker only dared send the occasional scout to peak over and see what was happening so that they remained undetected. They were at least a mile away from the valley. With any luck the noise of the monolithic tribe would drown out the sound of their horses, but they tried to remain as quiet as possible all the same.