Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
The sky has become shrouded in light gray clouds, heavy with moisture, the clear day gone beneath its cover.
My hatred for the cold grows by the minute.
This is a different kind of cold than any I’ve experienced prior.
Snaking through and into me, down to the bone.
The hood of my cloak has long since fallen away from my head, leaving me exposed to the weather.
My cheeks are raw from the wind, and my lips are dry; I have the irritating urge to constantly lick them. Which makes everything worse.
A howling wind presses against my ears, muddling Mikael’s shouts. “The… re… fl… at…”
His pointed finger guides my gaze to where we planned out our path. We’ve made it most of the way; only a few more feet and we’ll reach the ridge I saw when the dragon was landing.
Ice cracks, splintering off when I stab the tooth in my hand into it. I assess the wall and choose a spot to kick my foot into, using the smaller teeth affixed to my boot like talons as I ascend. The uneven ice face allows just enough texture for the basilisk teeth to gain purchase.
Tap. Crack. Tap. Crack.
The repetitive sound plagues me as we move higher. I look up to find Mikael’s feet disappearing over the edge. Thank the Fates this is almost over. His head pops out from over the edge and he waits for me to get close enough to reach his hand out.
“Grab my arm, I’ll help you over!” he yells over the wind that’s still whipping around us.
I acquiesce gladly. He pulls me up, and I use my spiked boots to propel myself the rest of the way over the edge. My momentum drives me forward, my boots sinking into the ground where the ash is thicker.
I stumble to a stop and hinge at the hip, taking a deep breath. “Thank you.”
Layer after layer of black and white cascades up on either side of us in a reverse arch. Beyond us is a snaking brown river, the water falling down from above, near one of the caves, and flowing out to somewhere unseen.
Swirling mist presses in, darkening the sky further, casting everything in a gray overtone as tiny droplets of water blanket us.
This is a mystical island, where ice, fire, and water—not just the magical signatures of them, but the elements themselves—all exist within each other’s grasp.
Though the dragons still flying overhead can no longer be seen, their screeching and piercing roars fill the sky like great booms of thunder.
There are six caves ahead of us up an incline, but after that climb, reaching them will be like a casual jaunt.
“Which one? My guess is the largest—the one that seems like it could fit a dragon,” I say through panted breaths.
“Only one way to find out,” Mikael responds. “Shall we?”
Mikael outstretches his arm, holding his palm open and motions for me to grab it. I oblige, and he curls his fingers firmly around my hand.
For balance and support, I confirm to myself. That’s all it is.
It’s not a steep incline, but it’s slick from the mist and loose ash.
In some places there are rivulets of water running under the surface, ready to be unleashed from its hold.
My toes ache from the added pressure of the teeth shoved into my boot soles, but I continue to kick them into the ice, giving myself traction.
Our crunching footsteps fill the space around us, disturbing the otherwise eerie quiet.
I misstep and my foot slides, threatening my balance. Mikael’s hand tightens, holding me upright as I kick my other foot into the ground and stop myself with my free hand. Once steady, I swipe it on my pants, cleaning off my gloves.
My eyes dart skyward at a bellow of what sounds like rage that booms across the sky.
Two dragons dip below the clouds, fighting.
A red dragon, mid-flight, swings its tail into a green dragon, who reciprocates with a swipe of its claws.
They continue to lash out at each other, swinging tails and snapping jaws.
Locking talons, they twist into a downward spiral, one overtaking the other as they tumble through the air.
I brace as their tangled bodies slam into the crater, the impact reverberating in a deep tremor beneath my feet.
My fingers curl, tightening around Mikael’s hand, steadying myself.
The ground groans, and sharp cracks ring out as a jagged web of fissures spreads beneath our feet.
We share a look, and I see the same thought painted onto his expression.
We’re fucked.
“Run.” Mikael yanks my hand, and we take off up the incline.
I kick at the ice with each hurried step, sinking the teeth into the hard surface.
I constantly slip, the teeth dislodging with the hurried pace between each step.
My hands are unable to find anything to grip, but I continue to scramble up like a newborn deer unsure of its footing.
Sheets of ash and ice tumble down from the sides of the mountain.
I dodge one clump, thrusting myself to the side at the last minute.
I land on my back, but there is no time to hesitate, so I get back up and keep moving as the stability of the ground wavers beneath me.
Then the ground splits, a gaping crack that threatens to swallow me whole.
“Bryn!” Mikael’s frightened shout is louder than the cacophony of cracking ice and plummeting chunks.
I bolt in a diagonal line to avoid the widest part of the crack, then jump over it. Mikael slides down from a few feet above, reaching out a hand when he gets to me.
“Together.” He unwinds the rope from around my shoulders and ties one end to my waist, then secures the other to his. “Just in case.”
Tethered together, again. A physical representation of the bond we share. I’m frozen like the ground beneath me as my brain processes the thought. It’s not that I’ve forgotten our bond. It’s just seeing it… It’s… jarring. Another reminder that despite my best efforts, I am tied to Mikael forever.
My eyes travel the length of the rope, following it from my body to his, and then my gaze lifts to settle on his face. His mouth is moving, and he’s waving a hand in front of me, pointing to a cave.
I don’t respond. Don’t move. My mind is crumbling along with the walls around us. He’s forever going to be a part of my story. Whatever the end of this journey holds, I’ll have to come to terms with it—or I’ll always live in anguish over the past.
He grabs my arm and pulls me behind him. In a daze, my feet move of their own accord, following Mikael as we continue to ascend in a rush.
The ground violently shakes again, followed by a rumbling groan beneath us. I finally snap out of the hold the rope put my mind in. Mikael slips, and my hand is on his back without thinking, lifting him and pushing him forward. We’re more stable together.
The entire crater seems about to collapse in on itself as the jagged fissure spreads further and wider. We keep moving forward, pushing and pulling at one another as we make our way to the mouth of the cave. When we reach it, we throw ourselves in, knees slamming onto the icy ground.
An ear-splitting roar rattles the walls. My knees slide, the leather slick with moisture, but I finally manage to turn over onto my ass. A massive white dragon, larger than the other two, soars low over the crater floor and releases a stream of ice that seals the crack in the crater.
White spikes now jut out from where the ground was split. The dragon lands on the edge of the ridge where the other two fell and lets out a fearsome cry, snapping its mouth. The red and green dragons spring into the air and fly out of sight in different directions.
I look over at Mikael who is also watching the spectacle, and shake my head. “I’m so over this.”
“Come on, let’s go get the next piece of your missing soul.” He rises and offers his hand again.
I take it, and he pulls me up.