Chapter 19 Liz
Liz
It’s happening every time I go to sleep now.
When I wake up, I’m not even a bit rested, and my heart’s racing. “She’s going to die. They’re both going to die.”
Are you alright?
Axel must be close—his voice isn’t distant at all. “Did you wait all night?” I can’t quite help my smile. “How pathetic.”
I know. It really is, but at least I’m not the only one. Asteria’s smiling like a complete imbecile at your sister right now because she thinks we’re all busy with other things.
He and Gordon and Asteria all feel the same way, which is how I know none of the dragons’ feelings—including Axel’s—are the least bit romantic. I wish I could be happy that he likes me, at least, but it’s almost worse.
He likes me, but not the right way at all.
Unrequited love is literally my least favorite trope in books and movies. That’s probably why I’m living it. It’s just how the world works.
Coral stretches and yawns. “Bad dream?”
I shrug. “My life. A nightmare. What’s the difference?”
“Is it really so bad?” She frowns. “He still doesn’t remember anything?”
I sigh. “I’ve been dreaming of either a past life or stuff I need to know in order to, I don’t know, help stupid Freya play her mind games.”
“What?” Coral’s querulous expression makes me laugh.
“They’re dreams that I’m living back in the times before the dragons left Earth. There were two main groups of them, and Axel’s nanny says that much is true. They called themselves the aesir and the vanir. The aesir are basically the blessed, and the vanir are like the evil version of them.”
“And?”
Yes, and?
I almost forgot that now we’ve bonded, he can hear most everything if he’s close and wants to.
“Last night, I dreamed about the heartstone—finally. It is a rock, and it was stuck in some gold pillar below Vanaheim. Freya’s evil father Bjorn was using it to face off against the aesir and it’s the reason he always won.
Freja was my enemy, but then after my brother and hers both died, we teamed up to take it from Bjorn.
Only, when we tried, Jore gave me wings, which was cool, and she made my swords special.
. .and then she turned Freja into a human, so that’s kind of a bummer. ”
“Wait, Freja was a dragon, but Jore, who is like, mother earth?”
I nod.
“She turned Freja into a person?”
“And she renamed me Gullveig—so Gyda and Gullveig are the same person, and renamed Freja so now it’s Freya.” I can’t help my heavy sigh. “Which is bad, because now we have the heartstone, but we’re trapped underground in a cave, and Freya’s dad just showed up. I think we’re both about to die.”
“Freya can’t die, not if she’s the same one who’s trapped under the volcano—Wait!” Coral stands up on the bed, flinging the covers on the floor. “You’ve met her. Are they the same?”
“Yes,” I say. “They are. Which means somehow she escapes, but I’m not sure that I do.”
“Is he about to burn you, then?” Coral asks.
I shake my head. “He’s an ice dragon, so I don’t think he can.”
What? Axel’s poked his head almost all the way through the doorway. He looks ridiculous. An ice dragon? Those don’t exist.
“They were called the vanir,” I say. “Remember? Euphrasia said they did.”
“Then he can’t be the one who kills you,” Coral says. “The legends say Gullveig burns, don’t they?”
“Not that I think I’m actually her,” I say. “I’m probably just having freaky visions from Freya, trying to lure me back into the lava.” Although, I did get wings in the dream, too. That’s pretty. . .damning.
You’re not going anywhere near that mountain, Axel says.
“He may not remember you,” Coral whispers, “but he sounds exactly the same as before.”
That makes me laugh.
Coral slugs me on the shoulder, hard.
“Hey, what’s that for?”
“I heard you almost died again yesterday.”
She did die, Axel says. Asteria had to shock her back to life before I could bond her.
“That’s really not helping,” I hiss.
We need to get ready. The ensnared are saying the executions are set for noon.
“Ixnay on the executions-eh,” I say.
“Who’s being executed?” Coral frowns. “Someone we know?”
I sigh. “When we’re done with this, I am so teaching you Pig Latin.”
“You already taught it to me,” Coral says. “And besides. Executions starts with a vowel. Any idiot would understand executions if you just add ‘eh’ to the end of the word.” She rolls her eyes.
But I’ve distracted her from the point.
“We’ll be back later,” I say. “I can shower then.”
It’s not like Axel’s going to care how I smell—we’re buddies, like drinking buddies. I could vomit on his shoes. No big deal. It’s not like he cares how I look or smell or anything else, as long as I’m alive and kicking.
“I’m going to take up overeating when we get back from this,” I mutter. “I’m going to get as big as a house. Chocolate. That’s what I need.”
“Are you alright?” Coral frowns. “You’re acting really strange.”
“I’m fine.” I sigh. “But listen, no matter how you may feel, promise me you won’t go bonding any dragons while I’m gone.”
Her smile’s sly. “Fine. I’ll wait until you’re back. How’s that?”
I’m scowling as I fly out the door and toward the hole in our building. Thankfully, Sammy and Jade are just wandering through the other direction.
“Hey,” Coral says. “When you get back, can we go shopping?”
I freeze midair and turn. “What?”
“It’s Christmas soon—we have lists.”
For some reason that hits me like a slug to the gut. “Christmas?”
Sometimes, like when they’re bonding dragons and taking care of each other, I forget how young they are. Christmas—in the middle of the end of the world? That makes me remember—Hyperion said they were talking about it.
“Sure,” I say. “When I get back, let’s make some Christmas plans, alright?”
“All I want for Christmas,” Coral says, “is—”
“Don’t even think about saying ‘a flame blessed to bond,’” I snap.
She shrugs. “Alright, I won’t say it, but you can’t say I can’t do it—you already bonded one.” She huffs. “Again.”
How is it that the hardest child is the only one who listened to my rules?
And how can I keep telling her no when her sister and brother already bonded dragons?
Ugh, fill-in parenting is the worst. I don’t even have the luxury of saying, “Because I’m your mom.
That’s why.” Hopefully Mom will be back soon, and then she can take over.
As I wing my way over to the flat ridge overlooking Selfoss that has become our constant meeting area, I’m fuming. I still can’t believe Jade and Sammy are bonded.
Axel’s wisely flying quietly beside me.
“Hey, why are you golden today? I figured it would be a red day.”
Because someone shot you yesterday?
“I mean. . .” I chuckle. “You do tend to go red when you’re mad or worried.” The wind gusts past me, buffeting me and sending a shiver through my entire body, wingtip to wingtip.
The air around us warms almost instantly.
“I’ve missed that,” I say. “Definitely the best part of being bonded to a fire dragon in Iceland.”
I warmed the air before we were bonded again.
“Not as often, and not as well,” I mutter.
As we reach the plateau, the humans who have already gathered are freaking out. “What’s going on?”
Norm’s there, Phileas beside him. “Liz!” He waves, as if I didn’t hear his shout.
“Hey.” I land smoothly—much better at flying than I was at first. Worlds ahead of Gullveig. I will grant her that it was a little more difficult at first, and I did make my first flight after being launched out of lava like a pop rock out of a can of soda, but still.
“Did you hear?” Norm’s eyes are bright, and he’s exuding the same kind of shaky-energy that Fluff Dog gets when he hasn’t seen me all day.
"Hear what? That my mom’s being executed?” I can’t imagine that would make him excited, but he’s a little odd. Who knows?
Norm’s face falls. “No—I’m so sorry about that, by the way.”
“Oh.” I glance around. “What then?”
Hyperion lands next to Axel. He’s usually the first one here. I’m surprised he’s just arriving. The humans say the Australian government has extended an invitation to us. It’s blasted on all their media channels.
“An invitation?”
“Someone videotaped one of your presentations,” Norm says.
“One of the humans who wasn’t bright.” He bites his lip.
“It went viral—popping up in new places before the government could shut it down. The people of Australia voted—they’re all welcoming us to live there.
No attacks, and no fighting, as long as we promise not to attack.
They’ll let the local humans who wish to bond one of us bond us.
They’ll also work with us to provide whatever sustainable food we need, and they said they have vast tracts of uninhabited land. Look.”
He swivels the iPad around.
“How are you even getting a signal here?”
“Are you really worried about the logistics of that?” Norm shakes his head. “It’s so nerdy that I don’t even understand most of it, but you just brought one percent of the American nerd population to Selfoss. You didn’t think they’d be able to get around a few military firewalls?”
I guess he’s right. I snatch the iPad and start scrolling.
Article after article.
The funniest one was released by the Australian Prime Minister in response to the United States’ outrage.
One US general reportedly called Australia’s offer, “the dumbest thing to come out of Australia since drop bears and Vegemite.” He went on to say that, “Australia will regret inviting the dragon freaks to their barren little island—or they would if they survived it.”
Australia’s Prime Minister fired back in the best possible way.
“Vegemite, drop bears, and photos of snakes and spiders were all designed to keep idiots exactly like General North away from our barren little island. And if the dragons are freaky, that’s better for us.
Have you ever heard of the platypus? What about wombats, kangaroos, or koalas?
We’ve always been a haven for uniquely beautiful animals. ”
For some reason, I find myself crying.