They swerved toward a ring of dragons. Two of them stood, their faces stretched to the sky, pale blue scales glowing in the morning light.He wasn’t sure how, but he knew he was looking at Chalia’s parents. It was a strange thought—that this god who he’d seen freeze a faery in its steps and nearly threaten to tear Micael in two, was also a daughter. And Fox may not have been an expert in dragon expressions, but he felt confident enough to say Chalia’s parents looked furious.
As she landed, Sofia leaned forward, and Fox could tell she was speaking with Chalia, a hand running soothingly along her scales.
“Dismount but stay close,” Sofia said softly, though from the tilt of their head, Fox had no doubt the largest dragon towering over them a few yards away had heard and understood the words.
They slid from Chalia’s back, Fox’s feet sinking into the snow as he landed. It nearly hit his knees, and he felt the cold seeping through his pants. He doubted they’d be talking over tea and a fire, and he tried to push away the need to shiver. Sofia stood close, her shoulders brushing against his.
Micael, on the other hand, stepped forward, ignoring Chalia’s warning growl.
“We’ve come to speak with the leader of the dragon gods.”
No one moved, the largest not taking their eyes off Chalia.
“My mother—Aurelia,”Chalia said, her voice a whisper in his mind.
“Daughter,”her voice was a sharp crack inside Fox’s head, and he recoiled, feeling Sofia flinch beside him. Looking up at her imposing form, Fox had no doubt the pain was intentional.
Even Micael looked a touch paler.
Before Chalia had a chance to respond, another dragon galloped past her parents, barreling directly at them. Fox grabbed Sofia, wrapping his arms around her as he threw them back and away from the charging animal. Micael leaped into the snow a few feet away from them as the dragon plowed directly into Chalia, knocking her to the side and letting out a spout of icy water from its mouth.
“Chalia!” Sofia shouted, trying to tear away from Fox’s grip.
“Hold on,” he said, seeing something in the dragon’s face. “It’s not attacking her.”
Sofia calmed, and they watched as the two dragons rolled across the ground, water, snow, and ice creating a cloud around them.
“You’re back! You’re back! I knew you’d come back,”the newcomer cried, snapping at Chalia’s neck.
“Stop it, Jobin!”Chalia said, but it was clear the small dragon wasn’t trying to hurt her, his bites gentle even as Chalia snapped back.
“You left me!”he said, practically throwing himself onto her body and pressing her into the snow.
“Jobin. Chalia,”Chalia’s mother snarled, the ground quaking as if from fear.
The two dragons stopped their playful tussling immediately. They stood wing to wing, looking up at the larger dragons, their feathers back and chins lowered. Jobin stood just slightly taller than Chalia, his feathers a darker blue, nearly black, and his scales a translucent white. Fox saw instead of the small tuft of feathers, his tail ended abruptly in a short stub. It made him shudder to think what creature a dragon might fear.
Fox and Sofia stood, Fox taking a moment to brush the snow off Sofia’s clothes where it had caked. Her shirt and pants were thinner than his own, and he knew she had to be cold, even with the cloak and fur draped over her shoulders.
Micael stood, though this time he didn’t try stepping forward.
Silence fell over the slope, and Fox could only tell Chalia and her mother were talking by the occasional tip of Chalia’s head toward them and her mother’s feathers ruffling in annoyance every few seconds. Her father watched with an inscrutable expression—even for a dragon.
“You called us.”Aurelia turned toward them, leaning her neck down until her head was nearly eye level with Sofia. Fox stepped forward, grabbing her hand even as he stared the dragon down, as if he could do anything against the creature—the god.
“I—” Sofia said, turning to Chalia in confusion.
Chalia must have said something directly to her because she turned back a second later and nodded firmly.
“I made a prayer to your feather out of desperation. The king and his chief commander have been looking for the dragons. They want to use you to destroy those of us who worship the old ways.”
“They look for us, and yet we have been safe for hundreds of sun cycles. Weran because you tried to kill us. Now you come here asking for help? Had mydaughternot disobeyed my orders, we would still be safely hidden here.”
Fox felt Sofia’s hand clench around his, her nails sharp against him.
“With all due respect, you’re not safe. The king’s general is coming now, marching up the pass as we speak with an army.”
“You led him to us?”Chalia’s father growled, the sound reverberating through Fox’s chest, and he could have sworn the clouds above them grew thicker, one coming over the sun to shade the slope.