Armies of the Dragon (Book 2 after Warriors of the Dragon)

Shipwrecked

Previously...

       Isolde woke to the feel of the hot sun smothering her where she laid. The white, hot orb in the clear blue sky pierced painfully deep into her eyes as she tried to open them. She felt sand grind against her bare skin and she shifted her body to feel that she was only wearing the rags of her dress as she tried to remember where she was. Her arm flew to cover her eyes as she squinted out from under the shadow of her sandy forearm. She could taste the salt in the air and hear the waves crashing serenely to the shore. When she was able to turn over and start to move, she saw a body not far from her.

We were shipwrecked, she remembered hazily. She coughed and spluttered before crawling to the black-clad body.

She kneeled with her mouth dropped open in disbelief at the beautiful blond woman who laid unconscious on the beach. She wore the armor of the Duvendis, but to Isolde, she couldn't possibly be anything but an Undine. Her delicately pointed ears were partially hidden by her golden hair and her eyes were closed peacefully like she was sleeping. Her pale, perfect skin was smooth and to Isolde seemed to sparkle in the sun. Her hands, which Isolde had until then believed were black as coal were actually a milky beige color to match the color of her angular face and they laid lifeless in the sand.

Isolde couldn't summon her voice, but her eyes searched desperately for a sign that the Duvendis woman was still alive. Isolde could see that she was breathing shallowly. She reached her hand out slowly to touch the woman's black-armored shoulder, but before her hand touched the Duvendis, Craven collapsed beside them, making Isolde look up.

"Sephira!" He begged as his hands went to either side of her face and he leaned over her to kiss her on the forehead. Her body was limp as he pulled her from the sand to cradle her.

"She's alive." Isolde found herself whispering to him as she watched in anticipation.

The woman's eyes flew open and she turned to cough seawater from her half-drowned lungs. She squinted into the sun up at Craven and her arms came around his damp, sandy shoulders.

"Craven." She breathed in relief before he kissed her cheek and pulled her into a delicate hug. She took a moment for the deliriousness to wear off before her sharp silver eyes found Isolde staring at her in disbelief. Her face grew dark when she realized she didn't have her mask and Isolde seemed to shrink back as if she knew the implications of seeing the elf's face. She turned back to Craven in confusion. "Where are we?" she asked.

"I don't know. We were shipwrecked. I woke up a few lengths away down the beach." Craven told her. Her eyes went white and her face was expressionless all of a sudden. Craven knew that she was trying to find Caius, but Isolde was riveted on her every move and almost wanted to ask what kind of magick she was performing. Sephira blinked and her eyes went back to their normal color.

"Is Caius okay? I think I feel Crow in that direction." Craven pointed to where he had been heading when he found her. She nodded and then her eyes went white again. Craven knew she was looking for her brother and she came back quicker this time. Then she got to her feet and her eyes were furiously combing the beach. It took Isolde a moment to realize that she was probably looking for her mask and hood.

When Sephira abandoned the search and the heat of the sun was melting her in her armor, she ripped off her chest-plate and shoulder pieces to get her tunic off. "It's friggin hot." She growled in distress, looking to Craven who had beads of sweat running down the sides of his head.

"I don't think we're in the North anymore..." he said slowly looking towards the palm trees that crowded the coast of whatever piece of land they had found themselves on.