Fate of Dragons

Chapter Thirty-Three, Part I

Moonlight glittered on the burbling water that ran alongside the narrow path next to Derol and Astrid's family, who followed behind him. Derol regretted that a footpath to the cave had been beaten down over the days of use by the dragon riders. If the Karume got this far in their searches, the path would be a clear sign of the presence of their prey. He had been assured that the riders would take care to groom the path out of sight once he had gone, but he still worried. The last thing they needed was for the Karume to discover the cave full of doors.

He put aside his worrying as they reached the passage into the cave, where the stream emerged from underground. Though he knew that the passage opening was there, he could find no sign of it. Where he usually looked through a gap in the branches and brush and saw darkness that hinted at the gap in the rocks, now he saw only a smooth stone wall. He reached a hand through a cluster of hanging vines and met cold stone.

Just as he was about to turn around to check the path for signs that he was in the right place, the stone vanished and Derol's hand fell forward into Fenn's grinning face. Derol jerked his hand back with a barely stifled yelp and smiled in relief. Eriya stood just behind Fenn with Gypsy at her side. The dragon squirmed past Derol and pounced on Astrid with delighted purrs. This caused Astrid's family to erupt in shouts until Eriya called Gypsy back, and Astrid was able to assure her mother that the dragon meant no harm. Derol ushered them all into the cave before any more commotion could be made.

They followed Fenn, Eriya, and bouncing Gypsy along the dimly lit passage. While Derol expected to find the larger cave sparsely populated with a few riders and probably Emric watching over the doors, he was surprised to see the cave lit from above with many warm, glowing globes of magelight, and the wide space filled with the murmur of dozens of voices.

"Are all of the riders..." he began.

"In here?" finished Fenn. "Yes."

They came to the end of the narrow passage and into the full cave.

"And the dragons too," Derol said. "All of the dragons?" He scanned the open space, less open now that the bodies of dozens of riders and dragons occupied it.

"Almost all of them," Eriya answered. "We have a few scouts out watching in the trees. We're all leaving about as soon as you do."

Fenn moved farther into the cave and motioned for Derol and the group to follow. Derol turned to check on Astrid's family, and saw that Astrid was pulling her mother by the hand. Halse moved forward reluctantly, not quite pulling back from Astrid's grip, and her eyes, wide, slid from dragon to dragon. Astrid's brother and sisters bore similar expressions, but their wide eyes held a tinge of excitement, too.

"It's okay, Mama," said Astrid. "The dragons wanted to meet you."

Halse let out a disbelieving laugh. "And you do you know that?"

"They told me," Astrid said in a whisper.

At that, her mother raised her eyebrows.

Eriya stopped ahead of them and turned back. "If you don't mind, Torun and Maira would like to meet you," she said.

"Who?" asked Halse.

In answer, Eriya pointed toward the center of the cave, where Torun curled in the now empty nest where the eggs had been.

Halse looked to Derol, and he nodded for her to go.

"We have some time to rest now," he said.

He watched as Astrid and her family trailed after Eriya toward the nest. Maira rose from where she sat next to her dragon and took Halse in an embrace, while Torun lowered his head and allowed the children to stroke his nose.