From the depths of vibrant dreams of dragons, I realize I hear someone calling me: “Estelle? Estelle, please wake up!”
“Astralux?” I cough, my voice dry.
“Oh thank Ariadna,” Astralux says.
I manage one eye open, feeling groggy, as if I’d slept for a solid twelve hours and need another twelve to feel normal. I see Astralux’s face above mine, the furrow between her scaled brows relaxing slightly.
“Estelle?” I hear Thorn from nearby. “Where’s Estelle?”
“Over by Astralux,” Vitegadium says. “She’s just waking up too.”
Astralux noses my head. “I’m so glad you’re awake.”
“What, what happened?” I grab a hold of the nub on Astralux’s nose and let her pull me up to a sitting position. I blink, taking in the sight of our camp.
Everything’s been rifled through. Every bag is open and its contents spilled around it. Even Thorn has been disarmed, his cloak undone and his boots removed and set beside him.
Thorn spots me and then staggers to his feet, leaning on Vitegadium. “Estelle?! Are you okay?”
I rub my eyes. “Yes, just sleepy.”
To my surprise, Thorn kneels beside me, looking me over with worry on his brow. Then he picks up my cloak, which was set aside, and holds it out. I take it slowly, surprised that it’s not on me. And then I look down to see that, like Thorn, someone has removed all of my weapons and taken my boots off. But more than that, my shirt was undone enough to reveal my ruby pendant from Amon. I hurriedly rebutton my shirt, flushing with embarrassment and indignation.
Once I’m done, Thorn takes my hand gently, staring into my face. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“I feel alright,” I say.
Astralux sniffs at my shirt and growls. “It was definitely that bastard that undid your shirt, though.”
“And disarmed you both,” Vitegadium says. He’s smelling Thorn and then looks over our camp. “He was looking for something.”
Unnerved that a single dragon was able to render us useless, and that someone would take advantage of the situation to go through our stuff—including what was on our persons—I stand slowly, leaning on Astralux. Thorn’s already going through the backpacks and taking inventory.
“Food and water supplies are good,” Thorn murmurs. “Looks like he even snuffed out the fire.” He points at the boot marks on the half-burned logs. “Not sure why.”
“Maybe he had enough decency to not want us to burn if the fire went astray? He didn’t kill us,” I say.
Astralux, still growling loudly, is looking from bag to bag. “That doesn’t mean he had a right to knock us out or go through our stuff!”
“No,” I agree. “I’m just saying. We’re alive and it looks like a lot of our stuff is here.”
Thorn, going through a bag, stops. “He took our money.”
Vitegadium frowns. “A highwayman and dragon pair?”
Thorn gives a snort, searching through the bag. He pulls out the scroll that Mortimer and I had written for King Mahlir, and my heart skips a beat. The seal’s been broken. “They know what we’re up to now.”
“Was the letter altered in any way?” I ask. Thorn brings the scroll to me, and I unravel it, skimming the lines. “No. Well that’s good.”
“So what were they up to, besides stealing money and going through all of our stuff?” Vitegadium asks.
“I don’t know but the next time I see them,” Astralux says, her words difficult to understand in-between her growling, “I will tear them apart!”
“Easy, Astralux.” I stroke my bonded dragon’s side. “They did wrong against us, but we’re okay. That’s something. They aren’t Vladykars.”
“No,” Thorn says. “However, if they’re just interested in money, we have to assume that they’re going to sell information to the Vladykars—what they learned from the scroll, our whereabouts, what equipment we’re carrying, anything.”
I flinch. “Then we’d better get going.”
“Immediately,” Thorn says, his tone urgent. “We need to make it to Remyssus as fast as possible.”
We pack up our camp as quickly as we can. Drinking lots of water from the nearby stream, Astralux and Vitegadium take to the air, all of us looking every which way.
“I still can’t believe they snuck up on us like that!” Astralux peers down at the rolling plains below us. “With all of our experience and everything!”
“They’re good at stealth, that’s for sure,” Thorn says. “But there was also a hill near us that was perfect for that. I’d already been thinking to stand watch there, because there was a blind spot.”
“Oh. Still.”
I can tell Astralux is really bothered by this, and I rub her scales along her neck. “It’s okay. Everything’s fine.”
“But what if it hadn’t been fine?” Astralux glances at me with worry in her dark blue eyes. “What if they had meant us real harm? What if they had hurt you?”
I lean down and hug Astralux, careful not to get in the way of her scales that are sliding back and forth as her beautiful wings flap. “It scared me too,” I say.
Astralux sighs heavily but resumes flying—talking does slow the dragons down a little. Vitegadium has pulled ahead a little.
All of us watch below as we fly past pockets of homes and then, soon enough, actual towns. Astralux and Vitegadium skirt any large towns we see, but I still spot people fleeing every which way or pointing up at us whenever we near populous areas. We’re causing a stir, that’s for sure.
Astralux chuckles. “Look at them! They don’t know what to make of us.”
I smile, glad her mood has improved. “When should we display the peace flag?”
“I was assuming once we reached Remyssus,” Thorn says. “Which, according to the directions the others gave me, shouldn’t be too much farther ahead.”
Something glints up ahead on the horizon. “I think I see the Golden Palace!” I say.
Both Astralux and Vitegadium’s heads raise a little, their eyes widening as they stare ahead. “The Golden Palace?” Vitegadium asks excitedly.
“That’s what it’s called,” I say.
Astralux gives an extra-long flap of her wings, lifting us higher in the air for a moment and propelling us forward. “Then what are we waiting for?!”
“I don’t—” Thorn starts to say.
Both Astralux and Vitegadium dart forward, flying toward the golden glint. I giggle at Thorn’s shake of his head as he sits low in the saddle. However, the dragons slow a little when we spot the sprawling city of Remyssus. I stare in disbelief.
I thought Adytol was massive! I see nothing but buildings and streets sprawled all over the flattened plains, all the way up to a wide river toward the west. There must be tens of thousands of people, walking in the streets, riding horses, driving oxen pulling carts or horses pulling carriages, children playing in the open cobblestone streets, sweeping up dust, carrying pails of water, shopping, selling, everywhere. Even up high I’m overwhelmed. I can’t imagine how much sensory overload I might get if I walked those streets with my enhanced senses.
“Wow.” Vitegadium’s rich green eyes are wide as he peers down. “Look at all the people!”
We’re flying toward the Golden Palace fast, and I spot tall stone walls protecting parts of the city of Remyssus grow larger—walls that are lined with men in the yellow and purple-checkered uniforms of the Verlassen’s coat of arms. My ears detect multiple bells ringing and horns sounding.
I gesture at the soldiers. “Thorn, you had better pull out the peace flag.”
No sooner do the words come out of my mouth than Astralux gives a roar of warning, and she and Vitegadium bank to the sides as a flurry of arrows and bolts zip through the air past us. Now my ears detect shouting, and I look down, my vision adjusting, to see soldiers taking formation along the marble tile pathways around the Golden Palace.
Thorn unhooks the peace flag from his saddle and holds it up, displaying a white flag trimmed with the blue, purple, white, and gold of the Wards’ coat of arms colors trimmed around the edges to help it stand out. Vitegadium flies a little lower but is forced to turn away as more bolts and arrows are fired up at him.
“We wish to speak!” Thorn shouts down at the soldiers below. His brow is furrowed as Vitegadium arcs away from yet another volley. “I’m not sure we can get close enough for them to see the flag.”
“Astralux, breathe on the flag!” I say.
Astralux turns, following after Vitegadium, and exhales. A bright sphere of white light bursts forward and splashes over the flag in Thorn’s hands, lighting it up. Now, when Thorn waves it, I see people pointing up at it. The projectiles lessen, and at last stop.
“Alright, let’s get a little closer,” I say to Astralux.
“We’ll go first,” Thorn says. Vitegadium takes the lead, descending slowly, the peace flag still lit up like a beacon. No longer is anyone firing, and Vitegadium circles closer.
Astralux growls. “Vitegadium needs to calm down.”
Now I see Vitegadium’s tail wagging a little, and how he’s circling faster—he wants to greet the people. Caution isn’t his strongest attribute, and right now that’s what’s needed. However, Vitegadium manages to hold back from dropping down. I spot a soldier in gleaming armor wave at us and then point to a grassy area just outside the outer castle wall and the river’s edge.
Thorn directs Vitegadium to land over there, and Astralux circles once before deftly landing a little farther back, closer to the last two and three-story buildings of Remyssus. The moment the dragons are on the ground, Verlassen soldiers swarm out from behind a portcullis, weapons pointed out at us. Astralux’s scales bristle in warning, but I hurriedly put my hand on her neck and point at the peace flag, still glowing in Thorn’s hand.
“We’re here to speak with King Mahlir,” I say. “We mean you no harm.”
Stepping to the front is the soldier in armor I’d noticed earlier. He has a black-outlined gold five-point star on his shoulders—a general! His head is topped with a helmet with yellow and purple feathers, and his thick eyebrows are low above his eyes as he walks our way, giving him a severe look. Just behind, I spot the other three generals that report to King Mahlir.
“I’m General Norman,” the man says. “If you truly don’t mean us any harm, you’ll send your dragons away before we talk.”
Astralux bristles, but I stroke her scales as I nod. “Of course.”
“Estelle!” Astralux says. The soldiers flinch backwards at the sound of her voice. “We can’t leave you!”
“They’re just worried,” I whisper to her. “We’ll be okay.” I dismount, landing on the grassy ground, and pat Astralux’s front right leg.
Thorn, seeing me, swings his leg around the saddle. He pulls out the scroll and a couple of other items, which he ties to his belt, before he drops to the ground smoothly. “We’ll call if there’s trouble,” Thorn murmurs, so soft I barely hear him. “Stay safe, just outside the city.”
“Alright,” Vitegadium says.
Astralux huffs. She and Vitegadium watch the four generals closely, and then they turn and run toward the river, flapping their wings and rising to the air heavily. My heart aches from the bond as I watch the beautiful dragons fly east until they’re out of sight beyond the buildings.
General Norman crosses his arm, looking between Thorn and I. “Well. I guess we will talk after all. This way.”
Thorn and I share a look before we follow the four generals, soldiers all around us as we walk toward the Golden Palace. I stare at the massive, gilded double doors as we made our way up the steps, doormen pushing them open, wondering what’s beyond. But no sooner do we step through when one of the generals gestures at the soldiers, and they lower their spears at us. Thorn and I come to a stop. Thorn reaches out, grabbing my arm, but the soldiers step between us, forcing us apart.
“Hey!” Thorn says, his green eyes flashing. “We are to remain together!”
“If you’re truly our allies,” General Norman says, “then your stories should line up. Disarm them and take them to the nearest meeting rooms—in opposite halls.”
My heart thuds in my chest as soldiers grab my arms and I’m pulled away from Thorn, who’s dragged down a separate hall. We share a look before I turn around, steeling myself.
We’ve got nothing to hide. There shouldn’t be anything different about our stories. I swallow, taking a deep breath. Everything will be fine. It should be just fine.
Right?
Tamara Rivers 
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