Tales of a Dragon

Epilogue: Over the Water

Axis Bentell had been royalty, but treated like an orphan on the street by his own father. He had a twin sister named Avril and a cousin named Dargo, who had died in a brutal and cruel event called the Tournament, where people were forced to fight to the death for a place in the Castle.

And now, he was an Eden, one of the strongest and one of the most well-known. He had a man by his side that was like a father to him, and his name was Rastiv. That man had died, from a blade that his real father had sunk in Rastiv's back.

Anger fluttered every once in a while, but it was just sorrow now. He misssed Rastiv so much, and the dull, throbbing pain made it worse. He wanted it to go away, so he could do something with himself. He couldn't do anything right now. He was too weak, his energy too drained.

But the Crossbones kept moving.

Clara helped him, and he thought in his mind that maybe he had forgiven her. Maybe they could start something new, and maybe... no. He couldn't talk like that. Not now. His whole chest was fluttering with sparks of dull pain, but the dullness made it worse. "Come on, Axis." Clara let Axis drape his arm over her shoulder. "You can do it."

They were walking to the dock of Ceraleum. Ceraleum's Colosseum was in ashes now, and the city was ruined. Most of the civilians had abandoned the city, leaving it looking like a pile of cement and ash. The smell was overpowering; the ash burned his nose.

There was a ship on the dock, and it was called the Father of Bones. Clara'd explained to him that this was just a backup plan. Now that Ceraleum was gone, they had to escape to somewhere else. Ashton, the King, would not be hiding here. He would be long gone, to another country. 

Once on the lower deck of the ship, were there were blankets and matresses, Clara tried to meet Axis's eyes. They were so empty of life, she thought, and she wanted to fill them again with wild sparks of life. But she couldn't do it. The only person that could was Avril, and she was too shocked about this whole mess. The siblings were drifting apart like icebergs on an ocean, Clara could tell.

"Alex, Emma," she said to the fellow Crossbones. Alex had his arm in a sling, the cast covering the whole upper part of his arm. Emma wasn't looking too good, either. She had a big cut on her leg, but it was healing thanks to the master, who was also a healer from Bitterwood.

"Can you get me and Axis some water?" Emma looked at her, her eyes saying, seriously? Alex nudged her and said, "Come on, I'm thirsty anyways."

She looked back at Axis as all of the Crossbones were loading their stuff onto the second floor of the ship. The ship was large, huge even, and it was enough for all of the Crossbones to comfortably sleep and live in. It just all depended on the nature of the ocean now, and how the holy stars would treat them.

"Let me explain to you the plan," Clara said, trying to get Axis's attention. It worked; he looked up at her and his eyes sparked. Thank God. "Alright, we're going to a place in Europe that's next to Bitterwood. The master's from Bitterwood, so he should know about the place we're going to. I believe it's named Derest."

"Yeah, Helio told me about the European cities."

Clara nodded, glad she at least got a response from him. "Yeah, she's right. Speaking of your dragons, they're going to be flying with us. They're too large for the ship. We'll be stopping when we can for their rest."

Axis nodded, and leaned back. "Thank you, Clara."

She widened her eyes slightly in confusion. "For what?"

He smirked a little. "Talking."

She rolled her eyes, trying to smile too. Maybe they could get over his first impression of her; a over-confident asswipe. She chuckled.

"Here's your water, Your Highness," Emma snarked, as she gave Clara her water. Thank the stars it was filtered. She took a sip, refreshing her throat with wet coolness. It felt like she hadn't eaten or drank anything in ages. 

"And yours, good sir." Alex sat down next to Axis, and the four of them sat together, drinking water. It was a nice moment to relax until the captain's booming voice annonced their voyage. The ship screeched for a split second and it roared forward. It slowed as it kept moving across the water; they were finally moving.

Axis put his cup down on a barrel, but it immediately dropped, the water spilling from the shaking of the movement. Axis groaned and the three laughed, mocking him for fun. Axis rolled his eyes and smirked, going up to the top floor, where he could see everything.

It was beautiful. Ceraleum was not in sight anymore. The sky stretched everywhere with its stunning, bright blue color and the wispy clouds making patterns in the sky. The air was nice, but smelled of sea salt. The sound of the water slapping against the ship was sort of relaxing.

One of the crew shooed him off, warning him how dangerous it was to be up here while moving. He got another cup of water while going down to Clara, Emma, and Alex. Maybe he could actually do something now. But he wanted to do something with Avril. She was just so shocked at him for not telling her about the Crossbones. Axis felt so guilty and horrible, and as they locked eyes on Axis's way down, she looked away.

She was with a girl about her age and height. She had light, blonde hair that was highlighted with faded pink. They were talking about something, and Axis just went down to the three Crossbones.

What would happen now? What if they made it to Derest? What would they do? He didn't know and he hated how it put a weight on his chest. He had to take his mind off Rastiv. For the stars, just do it, Axis! He sighed and finished his last flight of stairs.

Clara looked at his eyes as he walked over to them. He felt something for her, it was for sure, but he could tell that both of them were dangerous, and maybe it wasn't meant to be. But if it was, he wanted it to start right away. She was magnetic, and now that her over-confident mask was down, he started to appreciate her as a person.

He had to get to Derest and continue. If it wasn't for himself, it would be for Rastiv.

A/N

And that is the end of book one! Tell me how you feel by commenting. Do you want a second book? If yes or no, comment and vote! Thanks, guys! And what could this series be called? Right now, it's just the Tales of a Dragon Series, but ehhhh... can you think of a better one? And think of a title for a second book, if you want another! Thanks, hearts hearts hearts. 

P.S. Shai and the Coffee Boy is on hold right now. It might be back now that ToaD is over, but I don't know. It all depends. Thanks again :P