With Avek’s help, I had drawn our flight path on my map. We had stayed the course for two days. Parhagola was supposed to be close, but I didn’t know what to expect. It was a big island—bigger than even the Isle of Un that had had housed the Academy and three other villages.
We should be close, I said to Ignimitra.
The mid-afternoon sky was the color of gypsum due to the thick cloud cover around us. Ignimitra descended just enough to take us under the blanket of gloom. In that instant, the atmosphere changed.
Though the clouds blocked the sun, everything I could see was steeped in a shade of gray. The darkness hung like a haze, but the air was crisp. It was as if the world had pulled on a thin cloak. From this distance, the sea was a slick, black, sheet of glass.
There were no white ripples; everything was still.
My heart sped up. I should have been able to see Parhagola.
Take us a little lower, I asked of my dragon. She obliged, dropping us lower with each passing second. The visibility didn’t get any better.
I was rooting through my rucksack for my map when Ignimitra exclaimed.
It’s down there! She was fascinated. I can see the outline of the island.
Squinting, I tried to focus on what looked like the expanse of see below. Sure enough, there was the outline of an island. It was flickering in and out of focus.
Weird, I said.
Absently, my hand travelled to the hilt of my sword. I might not have considered myself a Dragon Guard soldier anymore, but I would still use it if I needed to. Something about this was making me uneasy.
Even the fog covering Sift hadn’t seemed this otherworldly.
There, the mist had seemed like a natural convergence. This haze had no smell, and there was no chill to accompany it. It was unnatural.
The sight of Parhagola had energized Ignimitra; her pace became frenetic.
She had handled the flight much better than I expected. There hadn’t been any time to stop for rest when I wasn’t sure if the Guard was after us. The last thing we needed was villagers to remember seeing the soldier with the white dragon.
You’re excited, I said, drawing her attention to me. Her pace slowed ever so slightly. Remember that we don’t know what we’re flying into. Stay alert.
I will, she said.
Her reassurance didn’t make me any less tense.
Our future hinged on what happened in the next hour, and I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about the worst that could happen. What if Hakan hadn’t even made it here yet?
I feel hopeful, Ignimitra’s voice was light and full of hope. I leaned into the feeling, hoping it would wash away my anxiety. Things will be well.
I hope so, angel. For your sake.
The descent to Parhagola was steep.
One moment all we could see was the outline, and the next the haze had disappeared and the island was much closer than either of us had thought. It was as if we had passed through some sort of barrier.
Here the sky was darkening to sard, a more natural occurrence.
Hakan’s village was Paev, located on the eastern tip of the island. Ignimitra had to dive deep so we wouldn’t overshoot it. Each passing second wound the knot in my stomach tighter, even as I began to see the outline of the village.
Village was the wrong word. It looked more like a city.
The buildings were tall and arranged in neat rows. There were fields tucked away behind the last row of buildings on one side, with similar clearings dotted around the network for houses. The transition from shore to house was sudden—the strip of beach ended in paved roads that led to the buildings.
In the center of it all was a grand building that towered over everything else.
I was in awe. What I had heard of Parhagola would have never led me to believe it was this big. It was easily larger than the Administrative District and the Artisan District of the Academy combined.
Ignimitra landed bumpily, kicking up sand as she skidded to a halt on the beach. It was after I realized that my eyes had been squeezed tight, and I had death grip on the reins. The beach sloped upwards to the city.
Realization hit me like a millstone.
We’ve made it! I
Unharnessing myself, I jumped onto the column of her neck.
Ignimitra squealed in delight. We did! She bobbed her head gently, shaking me as I hung on to her. I couldn’t contain my laughter.
When we had first set out, the journey had seemed dangerous and insurmountable. Yet, here we were! The most dangerous part was out of the way.
Or so I thought.
OUR CELEBRATION WAS short-lived.
“HALT!” The command was so strong it echoed in my head. Frightened, I fell from my place on Ignimitra. The sand crunched under my weight.
My confusion was fleeting. For I was up on my feet the next moment, looking for whoever had issued the command. Apprehension rose from Ignimitra’s skin.
Soldiers… her voice trailed off.
I followed her line of sight.
Meters away from us on the edge of the city stood a group of soldiers. One of them had a huge horn in his hand. They were dressed in sleek black uniforms that fit them like a second skin. The hilt of a sword peeked out from behind each shoulder, and their helmets were adorned with black feathers.
They weren’t Royal Militia.
They looked more like a group of black panthers about to strike.
Even though I couldn’t see their faces, I could feel their harsh stares. They had already issued their command, now they were waiting to see what I would do.
Don’t attack them, I said to Ignimitra.
Her tail was erect and her mouth agape. She looked like she was preparing for a fight, but that wasn’t the impression I wanted us to make. We had nowhere else to go, the last thing we needed was to upset these people.
I took two steps away from her and raised my hands into the air.
“We come in peace!” I shouted, hoping my voice would carry.
Slowly, Ignimitra relaxed her stance. She kneeled and lowered her head.
The next few moments were tense. Hopefully I had made the right decision.
I counted them as they approached. They were twenty of them at most—an advance guard it seemed. Their steps were so light I barely heard them in the sand.
Clearly, they were cautious of us.
They held the line until we were just a meter apart.
At that point, one of them stepped forward.
He was a tall man—I had to look up to see his face. The lapels of his uniform were a deep purple, as were the hilts of his swords. There was an air of importance about him. Perhaps he was their leader, their commander.
“You are not permitted here,” he said loudly. “State your purpose, soldier!”
Don’t lie to him, Ignimitra’s voice came into my head urgently. He intends to kill you.
I sucked in a breath, silencing the furor of anxiety.
I trusted Ignimitra.
“I am here to see my father,” I said slowly. “He moved here from Lleyston.”
Though I could only see half of his face because of the helmet, the soldier clearly scoffed. Gritting my teeth, I started thinking of the quickest way to handle them all.
“We do not accept outsiders here,” he replied.
“He is an alchemist,” I said quickly. There was no way that I had misread Hakan’s letter. Even Avek had verified it after I told him. Had he miswritten it? That didn’t sound like Hakan either. He had to be here. “His name is Hakan Royston. Until you find him, I will wait here.”
“You do not give me orders!” He was incensed. “You are lucky we did not kill you the moment you landed.”
I bowed my head slightly, hoping to show my willingness to cooperate.
His words stung, though. Weren’t we still in Pyralis? Why would he kill me when I was clearly a Dragon Guard soldier? I wasn’t still one, but they didn’t know that. Surely this uniform still counted for something.
He barked something in a language that I didn’t recognize and one of the soldiers approached him. He looked young, about my age. Their leader said something to him, then the young soldier took off towards the city.
“You should hope he finds him,” the soldier spat.
“I’ve already declared that I come in peace,” I said through gritted teeth. “You have no grounds to kill me.”
He laughed. “I do not need grounds to cut you down. I have orders from the Crown. It is just your luck that the Shadow Drakken is in our town today.”
My eyes bulged. Shadow Drakken? Weren’t we on Parhagola? Doubt rose in my mind, bringing with it a sick wave of nausea. Had we miscalculated the distance? Had we actually ended up in Shadow Country?
“Isn’t this Paev?” I asked the soldier, my voice faltering.
“You don’t even know where you are!” He screamed, reaching for his sword.
Suddenly, a peaceful approach didn’t even seem possible anymore. If weren’t actually on Parhagola, then this was a huge mistake. We would have to fight out way out.
There wasn’t even much time. I
f that soldier didn’t find Hakan, he would bring reinforcements with him.
I was sure we could take twenty soldiers, but definitely not two-hundred.
I drew my own sword, accepting his challenge.
Lend me your power, angel! I said, putting distance between myself and the group of soldiers. By this, they had drawn theirs too.
The atmosphere grew tense.
Most of my battles had been fought atop Ignimitra. But there wasn’t even any time to climb on to her. She was already tired from flying here, so she wouldn’t be as sharp as she usually was.
I needed to buy us a little time to escape.
I felt Ignimitra’s power sizzle in my veins.
Then it stopped.
A phantom pain ripped through me in its wake. But it wasn’t my pain. It was Ignimitra’s. Her scream filled my head, and my sword clattered to the ground.
“Angel!” I shouted, turning to her. The pain was so overwhelming I couldn’t use our Fusion Bond. There was no response from her.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
Ignimitra’s ivory scales were darkening at an alarming pace.
Anxiety gripped my throat.
What was happening? Was she dying? I rushed to her side, putting my hands on her scales. They were so hot to the touch that my fingertips scalded.
“Ignimitra!” I called, but she still wouldn’t respond.
Her hide turned grey first, then kept darkening until it was black.
Then the pain ceased all at once, and her screaming along with it.
Tears pricked the corner of my eyes, and I felt raw from the pain and the tornado of emotions that was wrecking my insides. I had flown here on a white dragon—a beautiful, majestic white dragon—and now she lay limp in the sand, her scales the color of the night.
“Ignimitra,” I moaned, moving to lay a hand over her side.
Her scales had cooled. The thump of her heart beneath my fingertips stopped me from thinking the worst. I tried calling out to her in my mind, but it was to no avail. It was the crunch of boots beside me that reminded me that we had been preparing for battle when this happened.
