Chapter Twenty-Eight
From the air, I could see why they called it the Burning Vein.
Lines of glowing magma branched through the soil below us as if Serai's blood were afire.
I expected the land to be barren, but it was the opposite.
Thanks to the heat, the environment was humid, perfect for tropical plants.
But it was a delicate balance. Nothing grew directly beside the cracks in the ground, leaving only black lava rock to border the vein.
It made for a beautiful sight, with the vibrant, red-orange magma complementing the jungle's rich green, and black outlines emphasizing the colors.
The thermal updrafts were also delightful, easing our flight.
As soon as we entered the Burning Lands, we barely had to work to stay aloft.
Instead of flapping our wings, we held them extended to catch the rising warm air and rode the currents.
They took us in circles, higher and higher, until we jumped from the top of one thermal to glide into the next.
Even the dragons seemed to enjoy leapfrogging across the Burning Lands.
It was perfect for helping my wings adjust to flying again.
Then Mount Henochtuclan came into view. The largest of the volcanoes along the Burning Vein, its name meant “Endless Inferno” in the Lamatoka language.
It certainly lived up to its moniker, belching steam into the sky to mimic smoke.
Thankfully, it wasn't erupting, so there wasn't any lava to avoid.
There was, however, a hint of sulfur on the wind.
I wrinkled my nose—sulfur smelled like rotten eggs.
“There!” the Dragon King called and left the thermal we were riding to descend toward a clearing in the jungle.
We followed hid glistening, black bulk down, our landings spaced to allow time for each dragon to shift, starting with the King.
I landed seconds after he shifted into his man-form and then stepped to the side with him.
As I watched the others spiral down to us, Raven opened his satchel and pulled out his clothes.
While Raven dressed, he asked, “How are your wings?”
“They're good. Those thermals helped.”
Raven pulled a jug of water from his satchel and handed it to me. “We'll hike a little closer and make camp.” He glanced at the sky and then pulled his boots on. “We should have a few more hours of daylight.”
“All right.” I took a swig of water.
“Tell me if you tire, and we'll stop.”
“I'm fine, Raven.” I waited until he was finished dressing and handed him back the jug.
“I plotted a course for us from above, Your Majesty.” Sir Vanoak said as he joined us. “I saw a stream we could camp by.”
“Take lead then.” Raven waved him toward the treeline.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The other knights finished dressing and had some water before Vanoak led us into the jungle.
He forged the path, cutting back some of the thicker growth with his lava-glass sword.
Still, it was rough going, my wings catching on all sorts of plant life even though I had them folded to my back.
Raven walked in front of me and tried to bash a passage open for me with his body, but with my wings, I took up more space than he did, and the passage wasn't large enough.
By the time Vanoak found the stream, I was ready to collapse.
“Sit down.” Raven led me to a grassy spot by the water. “Here.” He brought out the jug again.
“Thank you.” I drank deeply. “Crossing a jungle is much easier when done from above.”
“I didn't take your wings into account.” He sat down beside me.
“I'll be all right. I just need to rest a bit and eat.”
He rummaged in his satchel and pulled out a couple of cloth-wrapped parcels. Inside them were traditional Tabaa flatbread, cheese, and dried meat. “I'm sorry, it's only travel rations. We can't make a fire this close to the fortress.”
“This is perfect.” I took some cheese and nibbled on it while Raven removed some thin pallets from his bag and unrolled them.
Raven went to lay out pallets in the middle of the clearing and then returned to eat with me.
His men followed his lead, setting out their pallets around ours before sitting down in groups to eat.
Two of the knights took up guard positions on opposite sides of the clearing. By then, the sun started to set.
A few of the knights brought out little camp lanterns with enchanted light spheres.
The light was minimal enough that it wouldn't give away our location, but bright enough for us to be comfortable.
Still, it wasn't like there was much to do in the semi-dark jungle.
Raven and I retired to our pallets fully dressed.
There were no blankets, but the jungle was warm, and so was my mate.
We lay facing each other, Raven's arms around me and my wing tucked over us both.
“Tomorrow this will be over,” Raven whispered.
“We still have to find the rest of Bara's customers and free any captives they've taken.”
“Yes, but Nahel will be dealt with. And there aren't many more of Bara's customers left. We'll be finished with this by the time my dread arrives for your presentation.”
I nodded and snuggled closer to the King, the sounds of his knights settling onto their pallets sifting through my feathers.
My presentation to his dread seemed years away.
I couldn't see past Nahel yet. Once he was in chains and his experiments destroyed, maybe my future with the Dragon King would feel more real.
Until then, I was on the hunt, and that took precedence.