Fate of Dragons

Chapter Thirty-Four, Part I

Tesa had expected that they would spend some time on the island in Yennar Lei while they searched for their new home. It appeared now that that would not be the case. They might not even be able to find somewhere else to go before the mages of Yennar Lei descended upon them once more.

"Where's your partner?" Malía said to Orema as soon as they had all landed.

"I told Chiree to fly as soon as we saw the mages. I tried to fight them off so I could stay to warn whoever came through the door next, but they got that stupid pendant around my neck."

Only Tesa heard what caused the dragons heard to erupt into motion. It was Chiree's dragon, still not visible through the trees, calling excitedly to them as she approached.

We found it! We found it! We found a place!

The dragon hurtled into view above the trees, but despite her excitement, she slowed when she reached the camp, and circled in the air a few times as she slowed to come down to land. Chiree slid off of her deep red dragon, her eyes alight, and ran to Orema.

"We found another island," she said, gripping Orema's hands. "A really good one. At first it looks like just rocks, but there's an inside."

"That sounds like it will be a perfect place to base our search," Malía said.

Chiree shook her head. "It might be a perfect place to stay."

Malía pursed her lips. "I'd like to see it," she said, "which we might as well do right now." She glanced in the direction of the shore, where the mages sat huddled on the beach under Orema's spell, and the ship rocked in the water under the weight of its own magical net.

"Why don't you show me," Malía finally said. "The rest of you stay here for now."

Malía mounted Gira, and Chiree climbed back onto her dragon. The dragons reared up, flapping their wings hard to take off without a running start.

A wail rose up across the clearing, and Tesa and Neela swung around. Tesa's first thought was that more Yennar Leian mages had snuck up on them.

"Please don't make me stay here," cried Linnie, who now lay on her belly and clung to the back of Glenna's dragon. "I regret what I did. I really do. I didn't know what they were doing with the dragons until after."

Glenna looked around sheepishly at the dragons and riders, who all had turned to stare.

"Stop it," she hissed. "You have to get down." She put her hands on her hips and glared at her dragon. "Help me out a little?"

Siora dipped her head and swung it away to avoid Glenna's gaze.

She belongs to us, Siora said for every dragon to hear.

Tesa made her way over to her friend's side. Linnie continued to hug Siora. Her face was turned away from Glenna and she sobbed quietly into the dragon's back.

"I don't know what to do," Glenna said. "She won't get down. But she needs to. She can't come with us." Her voice held a note of sadness that carried through its general frustration. "Siora thinks we should take her, though."

"Just let her stay there for now," Tesa said. "If she wants to go with us, she's not going to try to escape, is she?"

Glenna frowned, then nodded. Her shoulders slumped forward and she sighed.

"At least mine's not making a fuss," said Savannah. She strutted over, grinning. With one hand she played with the end of her long braid, and in the other she held a short blade. She turned a bit and gestured toward Berick with the blade. He glowered at her, and in response she saluted him with a flick of her blade. Though it hardly seemed possible, Berick glowered even harder.