The man smiles, then starts shaking his head, stirring the thick liquid in his small pot.
"It's an impossible task, no one has ever reached him. His dragons will burn you to ashes before they allow you to get anywhere near the valley. They are vicious beasts, the most dangerous in the entire Asian World," the man shouts, but I don't feel discouraged. We’ve gone too far to give up now.
"We aren't just anyone. I'm a Wyvern shifter with fire magic and Jorgen’s a skilled sword fighter. We’re trying to save someone's life, and we need to get to the druid no matter what," I say, tightening my grip around my bow.
"Yes, I can sense the magic in you and your energy is strong, but there is something wrong with this one. I can't put my finger on what it–"
"Forget about Jorgen, we’re a team and we need the dragon venom. All the real beasts have been slaughtered, and I'm surprised that the druid has gotten away with breeding such dangerous beasts for so long," I say, wondering how many more shifters before us tried to get close to the druid.
"The druid lives in a valley, hidden deep in the mountains where the weather is harsh during winter season and no one is stupid enough to wander off out there anyway. Only people native to that region are able to survive there. I'm one of many people who knows how to reach him," the wizard says proudly, stroking his jaw.
"That's what we thought and as you probably know, we aren't stupid. We want you to take us to the druid and we do realise that you will need something in return," Jorgen says, stepping towards me.
"You're right, my friend. I do need something from you. The truth is, that I’ve been living here for too long, and lately I’ve been hearing more and more disturbing rumours. Apparently, Ming is planning to take over this territory. Humans have been at war with shifters for a long while now, and Ming will kill every last shifter who stands in his way," the wizard says, and I have no idea what he’s getting at. Ming doesn't concern me anymore, but his time as a ruler will come to an end soon enough.
"Just tell us what you do want, so we can be on our way?" I ask, raising my voice, growing impatient. I don't want to waste too much time talking about Ming.
"I will take you to the druid, but I want to come along as well. I’ve been thinking about relocating for a while now, and this is the perfect opportunity. The two of you can offer me protection. I don't need to see the druid, but I want to be your travelling companion."
I'm quite taken back by his proposition and shocked that he wants to join us. I know that he has no reason to lie to us, and I don't see why he can’t join us. I glance at Jorgen who doesn't seem convinced that this is such a good idea. This is our only way to save Jetli, unless we go back to town and find someone else who can help us.
Jorgen looks at me and the heat from his stare stirs desire inside my belly. I sigh loudly, and then say:
"We need to talk this through. Give us a minute," I say and then head outside with Jorgen.
"This is it, Astri. He’s not lying, he knows how to get to the druid," the duke says and I can feel his excitement. Once he drinks the venom, he’ll be himself again. It's a big deal.
"All right, but we need to find out what else he’s planning. I’ll ask Emilia for advice, while you keep him occupied for a bit," I suggest, knowing that she’ll know what to do. Jorgen nods without a word. Shortly after that he goes back into the wizard's home, while I circle around for a bit, looking for the best place where I can use the upside down mirror.
Finally, I sit down in the bushes a good ways from the cottage, and dig out the small box from my rucksack. My hands are shaking when I unwrap the mirror, thinking about Emilia, Lenin and Jetli. Energy starts flowing through me, igniting my beast when I make a connection.
"Emilia," I say her name loudly, staring at my slightly murky reflection. Soon one face vanishes, and the surface of the mirror starts vibrating. Seconds later, Emilia appears on the other side.
"Astri, I’ve been worried about you. It's been two days since we last spoke," she says, looking concerned. She must be in her flat, and it looks like it's night time in the Eastern World.
"Sorry we had a few slight complications, but we’re back on track now," I say. I can't tell her anything about Edvard and Aria just yet, it's too soon. She frowns and then hears something outside, and walks to the window, holding the mirror in her hand.
"Astri, there are strange things happening in Rivenna. There are rumours going around, apparently shifters are calling for a rebellion," she whispers and I feel sick as a bunch of rocks cascade down into my stomach.
"Are you sure? We haven't been gone for too long. There are always all sort of rumours going around the city," I say, knowing that Emilia wouldn't have said anything if she thought it wasn't serious.
"Maybe, but I keep seeing strangers in the city. They’re always in small groups and I’ve never seen them before. Marianna was approached by a few of these individuals last night," Emilia explains and I swallow hard, wondering if people are truly that unhappy right now. Jorgen left his father in charge, but Hans is still battling his illness. Maybe he has no idea what’s happening on the streets.
"We’ll be back in a few days and Jorgen will take care of this. People in Rivenna will need to see change, but they know that he’s a good leader," I say, trying to be positive. Ruscal’s in the Asian world, chasing after me and Jorgen and far away from Rivenna. Maybe it's just a false alarm. "Emilia, the reason I established the connection is because we’re with a wizard in this village and he says he can take us to the druid. The problem is that he wants to come along with us, and I have a feeling that this might be some sort of trick."
Emilia nods and then speaks.
"Asian wizards and witches don't get the same respect like we do in Eastern World. It sounds to me like he’s looking for a way out," the witch says, and then glances out the window again, frowning deeply. "You need as much help as you can get, so accept his terms and get that venom. I sense black energy in the city, strangers creeping around every alley in the night. People are scared, Astri. This isn't good."
I stare at her, knowing that maybe she’s right, maybe shifters in the city are ready for an uprising or rebellion. Fear slips into my system, reminding me that I'm far away from home, and we have a complicated journey ahead.
Emilia doesn't want to worry me unnecessarily, so we say our goodbyes. She also assures me that she’ll let me know if the situation in the city changes. I feel a little guilty that I can't talk to her for longer, but the wizard’s waiting. I don't want to look suspicious, so I lock the mirror back in the box, telling myself to keep a straight face for Jorgen's sake. He doesn't need to know that there’s an unexplained darkness creeping over the city.
I head back to the house, sensing more magic in the area. Once we have the venom and Jorgen’s a mage again, then we can both worry about situation in Rivenna. He can't lose his focus and determination when we’re so close. I know that nothing’s going to stop us from reaching the druid.
Chapter Sixteen
The day of the dead.
"All right, so we have a deal, but how are you planning to follow us? I'm going to be flying in my true dragon form." I ask, several minutes later, standing next to Jorgen in the wizard's creepy cottage.
I have a few doubts about this trip, but we can't afford to come up with another plan. The situation in Rivenna’s getting slightly tense and we need to head home as soon possible.
The wizard doesn't answer, then smiles widely and vanishes into another room. I exchange a worried look with Jorgen, unsure if he’s trying to trick us.
For about a minute or so we hear loud banging, then something slams on the floor and it sounds like furniture’s being moved around. Jorgen looks at me, but I shrug my shoulder, having no idea what the wizard’s doing in there. Several minutes later he finally reappears, holding an old dusty broomstick that’s seen better days.
"I will fly next to you, shifter girl, this way we can stick together in case of trouble," he says, looking prett
y pleased with himself, but I'm still a little confused, not understanding what he needs that old broom for.
"Are you planning to fly on some old broomstick?" Jorgen asks and I laugh a little. I heard about wizards that travelled on their old brooms in the past, but I always believed these stories to be made up.
"I hear the mockery in your voice. Trust me. I travelled on this beauty through the entire Eastern World and further when I was younger. This method of transportation has never let me down before," the wizard answers, stroking the boom and I stare at him, still thinking that he can’t be serious.
"Jorgen, come on, it's a–"
"Let him convince us, Astri. Worst case scenario? He’ll fall and break his neck," Jorgen cuts me off, as we follow the wizard outside the cottage. I shake my head, hoping that we can avoid any serious injuries after all.
"Come on shifters, let's not waste time on this discussion. Our journey is going to take a while," he says, waiting for us outside.
"I would love to see the day when Emilia’s travelling on one of these," I say, trying to be funny, but deep down feeling a little apprehensive about the fact that the wizard will be flying right next to me. I have to keep an eye on him; his broom is after all, quite old.
"We started discussing the deal and I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Calvin," he says, and then shakes my and Jorgen's hand.
We skip the small talk and then head towards the north. Calvin states that there’s a large field a mile away from here where I can shift without any problems. It sounds like the wizard knows a lot about the mysterious druid. The wizard tells us that the druid lives in complete solitude, surrounded only by his beasts and he hasn't seen another human being for over twenty years.
"Astri, are you sure about this? Maybe we shouldn't trust him," Jorgen asks again once we leave Calvin behind while he’s muttering some unknown spells under his breath.
"No, but we've made a deal and we can't back out now. This should work out for the best," I say, thinking about poor Jetli. Derek doesn't know how to help her and I'm her only chance to pull through this nightmare. Calvin catches up with us a few minutes later when we start walking towards the forest. He’s carrying a large bag with him, probably filled with his magical potions that I smelled in his home. The sun’s beginning its descent behind the horizon and soon darkness will shade the Asian World. We need to hurry, because the temperature’s already dropping. It's going to be freezing cold once we fly over the clouds.
"It's better if we travel after sundown. Humans don't watch the sky then and we don't have to worry about local shifters following us," the wizard explains, and I know he’s right.
We must have attracted some attention in town, showing up unexpectedly, but right now we can't afford anything to go wrong. As we slowly leave the forest, I start summoning my energy in order to shift. After our long trip all the way to the Asian World, I needed some time to recoup all my magical energy, but hopefully this trip won't be as exhausting. Half an hour later, my teeth are chattering, and it looks like it might start snowing soon. Jorgen and I didn’t come prepared, completely missing the fact that we were relocating to a different climate.
"You should go ahead and shift, Astri. We can't waste time, the weather is only going to get worse," the wizard says, placing one leg on his broomstick. Seconds later, he shoots up into the air, and I stare in amazement at how well he’s maneuvering the broom, zooming between the trees.
"Unbelievable," Jorgen mutters and then backs several meters away in order to give me some space.
I concentrate on my magic, imagining rising in the sky and spreading my dragon wings. A tidal wave of energy starts moving through my bloodstream, awakening my inner beast. This time around, it takes me longer than usual to transform, and I experience severe pain when my joints stretch and muscles begin to expand. Ten minutes later, I finally rise above the ground with Jorgen on my back, releasing violent fire.
My sharp senses register the man flying close by. He glances at me and then points out that we need to carry on towards the north. The world around us is pitch-black, and heavy clouds gather in the navy sky. Even my beast is aware of the freezing temperature and I'm hoping that Jorgen will be all right on my back.
Nevertheless, we leave the town behind and for the first few hours we fly very low, trying to preserve our strength. I spot racing deer in the fields, and even a few humans on horses.
The wizard keeps up with my speed, even when I fly higher, hoping to put a little distance between us, and slowly disappear above the thick clouds. Jorgen grips my horns tightly and I release more fire, craving its magic rushing through my bloodstream.
At least two hours into our journey, we fly above several lakes and forests before the weather starts improving a little. It's still bitterly cold, but so far we’ve been lucky, because it hasn't started to snow yet. Minutes later, the wind starts picking up, and I keep working my wings, knowing that we might soon be approaching our destination.
We fly right into a dark, thick mist, and it begins to drizzle a little, when I sense something big and heavy shooting right past me. I roar with fury, batting my huge wings and trying to turn my body slightly up to the left, but then I spot the wizard. He’s flying right above me, not even looking down and it seems like he’s admiring the moon–fool. Then another huge rock passes by, just above my horn, and brushing my tail. Jorgen’s panicking, trying to scream out towards the wizard, but Calvin can't hear him.
I glance down and register the movement on the ground. A bunch of humans are trying to knock us down, using some sort of weapons and shooting heavy boulders up into the sky. Unexpected fear soars right over my spine and I panic. Now the stones are firing towards me from every possible direction, but the wizard’s flying too high, and he can't see what’s going on.
I let off a warning roar when a massive rock shoots past me, heading straight towards Calvin. He spots it too late, and the stone hits him in the head. Seconds later, he’s knocked off his broom and starts falling from the sky. I want to fly down, hoping to catch him, but more rocks keep coming at me from every direction; one hits me on my left flank and I roar out in pain. Jorgen keeps screaming something, but I can't hear him.
Then my senses register another dragon in the sky. I dive in after Calvin, at the same time, trying to avoid getting hit by another rock, realising that I can't see him. Maybe it's already too late. I feel a spike of anger so powerful and so hot that static rushes over my scales. On top of that, the unknown dragon’s flying closer to me, roaring and releasing his fire storm.
I can't save the wizard, it's too late and now I have to try to save my own skin.
"Astri, be careful!" Jorgen shouts, but I barely register his voice, seeing one of the biggest dragons that I ever knew existed flying toward me in the sky. Silky black scales are covering his skin and it's at least twice my size. It's a male, a very furious and vicious male with a long tale spreading over several meters in length. He’s covered with red tiny horns scattered around his spine and back. I lower myself further, aware of the temperature soaring down again, and now I'm flying right above the high snowy mountains. My worst fears are spreading through me like wildfire, because I start to realise that it's not a shifter, but a real dragon.
I sense its potent anger, because in a way this creature is communicating with me, giving me a warning to turn around and go back where I came from. I keep up my speed, and circulate around the mountains a few more times. The dragon’s trying to force me to turn back, but I won't.
He unleashes a fire that burns my tail and soaring pain spreads deep into my bones, almost melting me from the inside, damaging my scales. Jorgen keeps shouting at me, and I hope that he’s going to hold on to me tightly. Fear sinks its icy claws into my stomach, but I force my beast to keep going, to keep fighting. This isn't the end yet.
I glance behind me, hearing the beast loud and clear. The dragon’s getting closer to me with very passing moment.
Calvin’s dead, but I
can't be responsible for what happened to him. It was his choice to follow us. Now all I have to do is stay alive, and make sure that Jorgen survives too.
If it's necessary, I’ll need to rely on my fire magic; energy’s soaring through me, and I speed up, flying faster, batting my wings harder. I have a simple plan sketched out in my head. It's a hell of a risk, but otherwise the dragon’s going to burn me alive. I have no chance to defeat the beast in an air battle, even with my fire magic.
The snow starts coming down heavily, and it’s difficult to see anything in front of me. The dragon gets closer, treating me with more fire and I can't seem to escape from it. Jorgen’s holding on to me, but I can feel his heart pounding fast in his chest.
I fly lower and lower, aware that my inner strength is slowly fading away. I’ve been going too fast, and now my blood pressure is rising too. The dragon behind me just needs to speed up a little more until he moves past me right into the thick mist.
Then when its time, I’ll dive even lower, slowing slightly. The dragon becomes disoriented when I rise above him. Waves of electricity start pounding through me as I release my magical fire. The flames covers his entire body instantly and he lets off an agonising roar. Thick smoke makes its way into my lungs, but I keep spreading more fire, knowing that this is my only chance of survival.
The beast squeaks, and roars in agony; his screams for help are echoing in my ears.
I fly away, trying to escape, but then stop, seeing the beast trying to fly up, but his wings aren’t keeping him in the air. My fire must have severely damaged his mobility. Then he starts going down, falling and something snaps inside of me. For some reason, I feel the dragon doesn't deserve to die.
The smell of burning flesh wafts through the air, and I dive down, changing my mind instantly, knowing that I have to rescue him. His thick skin is badly burned, and the air keeps buzzing in my ears. I straighten my wings, allowing myself to gain speed, finally clenching my sharp claws over the beast’s spine.