Spirit Wars (The Spirit Kingdoms #3)

Chapter 1

“You sure you don’t mind?” Farrah asks for at least the fifth time. I look over at her, and whatever is on my face is enough for her to throw her hands in the air. “Okay, fine. You’re good to help. Got it.”

I follow her through the streets of the Wolf Kingdom. I’m leaving with Farrah. I'll be back in a few hours; be good. I send my thoughts via the mental link I have with my dragon.

“Will Redara be okay while you’re gone?” Farrah asks, casting a glance over her shoulder at the huge dragon laying in a patch of grass, sunning herself.

“Oh, who knows? Red does what Red wants to do.”

Yes, she does, Red says in my head. She doesn’t even bother opening her eyes as I walk past, even though I know for a fact she knows I’m nearby. She can feel me like I can feel her.

“Hmm,” Farrah hums. “Sounds like somebody else I know.”

“Whatever.” Her laugh follows me as I walk ahead of her. We walk a little further and meet up with Jamik, her mate’s brother, who has horses for us.

“Thanks, Jamik,” she calls out, and I wave my thanks as I mount my horse.

“When was the last time you saw your other half?” I ask as we ride.

She cuts me a look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I laugh at her attitude. “Nothing. I just mean I know he’s really busy. Do you guys ever get to see each other?”

Some of her defensiveness drops. “He at least comes home every night; that’s good. You're right; it’s been insanely busy. But hopefully that should all be coming to an end now that these Spirit Trials are over.” She glances over at me with bright eyes.

I nod. “Anybody give you grief for having the trials later than usual?”

Farrah shakes her head. “Not really. I think everybody understood. It was a lot of pressure on Rysden, though—trying to figure out logistics for trials without Terron and his ability to broadcast the trials into people’s minds.”

With the death of Terron and his gryphon, the last of their kind, things had really begun to change.

He’d always broadcasted the highlights of the trials in people’s minds at the conclusion of the trials.

He and his gryphon also played a major role in the trials themselves.

They’d had to change the trials a lot because of their absence.

That pressure had fallen on Rysden and Farrah and Kaldar and Kinsley, but mostly Rysden and Farrah because they’re here.

Kaldar and Kinsley tried to come to the Wolf Kingdom as much as possible, but they’re battling with their own problems in the Jaguar Kingdom.

The guivre attacks are so frequent now and are causing major problems for their kingdom.

A shudder runs through me as I think about the deadly creatures.

It doesn’t take long for Farrah and I to get beyond the castle walls, and then we’re riding to the location where the Trials took place.

Our goal today is to get everything picked up and set back to normal from the concluding ceremony.

When we arrive, Lox meets us. “Farrah, Harpie,” he says with a wave and a grin, which I promptly reward with a scowl.

“I hate that nickname.”

His grin broadens. “Which is precisely why I use it.” Before I can give him a piece of my mind, he turns away. “This way.”

We end up working the rest of the day, stopping only for lunch. When I finally make it back, it’s nearly dusk. Ready to go? I send to Red. We have a standing engagement every evening. We go for a ride when I get done with my work for the day. It’s become one of my favorite things.

I’m ready, she sends back.

Like you're ever not. I only get a huff in response because she knows I’m right.

Redara would spend every moment of every day flying if she could.

That makes two of us, but I don’t tell her that.

She has a big enough ego as it is. Of course, we didn’t get to fly right away.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out to mount her.

After I finally conquered that, I had to learn how to keep my seat.

I can’t even count how many times I fell from her back.

The first time, my heart nearly stopped.

Thankfully, she caught me before I hit the ground.

And she’s caught me every time since. But it’s gotten a lot better.

I honestly can’t remember the last time I fell off.

I think it’s been almost three months or longer.

We've gotten pretty good at it now, though she tests me. Often. It still terrifies me when she spins or somersaults midair, but I’ve learned how to keep my seat and the contents of my stomach right where they are.

“Ready?” I ask as I approach her. I make quick work of climbing her back leg and then making my way to where I sit on her back.

I lean forward, my way of letting her know I’m ready.

She takes a few running steps and then beats those massive wings, and we lift into the air.

Somebody cheers below us, and I don’t even bother looking.

Every single time. You’d think the people of this kingdom would be used to it by now, but nope.

Passersby clap and carry on every time Redara and I take off.

It’s better than how it first started, she reminds me when she catches my thoughts.

Yeah. Remember the guy with the spear?

She rumbles back through the link, letting me know exactly what she thought of that idiot.

Not everybody was happy when Redara first landed here.

Some of the members of this kingdom thought she needed to be put down.

Sightings of dragons are rare, almost nonexistant; so, I get it.

Everybody knows the Dragon Kingdom exists, obviously, but most people have had no dealings with anyone from there.

Of course, the people in the Dragon Kingdom only have spirit dragons.

The only people with real, corporal dragons are myself and the king of the Dragon Kingdom.

Thinking about the king of the Dragon Kingdom fills me with the same anger it usually does.

I’ve never met him, and I don’t really want to, except to maybe give him a piece of my mind.

Red snorts through the bond. You want to give him more than a piece of your mind. You want to rage at him.

She’s not wrong. Not only has he ignored the multiple requests Rysden and Kaldar have both sent him to meet—which that would be enough—but the man has no regard for the fact that one of his dragons is here, and he doesn’t even care.

Admit it. You're angry because you’re supposed to be his mate, and he hasn’t even bothered to show up.

No, you’re upset because your mate hasn’t showed up.

It’s the same argument we’ve had for months.

We actually haven’t had it in a while; we both sort of stopped bringing it up.

But she has more of a case than I do. I don’t want to have anything to do with a guy I’ve never even met who obviously doesn’t care about anybody but himself.

And if the rumors I’ve heard about him are true, he’s cold and cruel.

I push thoughts of the cruel king from my mind.

My mind quiets as we fly, and I take in the fading daylight.

My mind doesn’t quiet often, but there’s something magical about these evening flights with Redara.

When I’m high in the sky like this, the problems of the world seem to fade away.

I allow myself this time. It’s not until Red’s sufficiently worn through some of her energy that we finally start making our way back.

I don’t have the kind of night vision Redara does, but I trust her explicitly.

We’ve done this enough times for me to trust her.

I can see the walls of the city up ahead because of the permalight on the outsides of the walls, so I know we’re almost done for the night.

Suddenly, Redara rears back, nearly launching me off her back.

“What in the world, Redara?” I call out in the darkness, trying to reposition myself on her back. “Why—” My words are cut off when a stream of fire shoots towards us, blinding me with its brightness. Redara darts to the left, barely avoiding it.

Hang on, she sends me.

Oh, shoot. My brain is still trying to process what’s happening as I squeeze my legs tight and try to keep my seat.

Close your eyes, she sends me. I squeeze my eyes shut and hang on tight.

I know what’s coming next. I smell the sulfur and hear the air crackle with the heat of her dragon fire.

I can see the light even behind my closed eyes.

Her dragon fire is incredibly bright any time of day, but at night, it can hurt your eyes.

Did you get it? I ask. She banks hard to the right, and I tighten my legs to keep my seat.

I’ll take that as a no. She races forward, and I try to catch my breath.

It’s scary being at war with a guivre while on the back of a dragon any time of day, but at night—when I can’t see anything—it's downright terrifying. It gives an awful screech, and I resist the urge to cover my ears. The sound of it reverberates through my body, setting my nerves on fire. Redara shoots downward, and I try to keep the contents of my stomach where they’re supposed to be.

Where is—I don’t get the question out before we collide with it.

Redara shrieks as we’re thrown to the side, and I lose my grip on her back.

For one awful moment, I think I’m going to slide completely off her back.

But she adjusts beneath me, and I’m able to gain my seat once again.

Hang on. She starts a series of twists and turns and rolls, and it takes all of my focus to stay on her back.

Right. Left. Down. Right. Up. Her directions keep me in my seat as I can anticipate which way to lean.

Hours of flying together has taught both of us the best way to handle these kind of situations, and right now, I’m grateful for every single hour I’ve spent on her back.

Close your eyes. I do so immediately and see the bright flash behind my eyelids.

There’s nothing after that, and I open my eyes.

Redara slows her flight, and I take a shuddery breath. He’s dead, she tells me unnecessarily.

Good job. Are there any more?

She's silent a moment, and I let her do her thing. I don’t sense any.

Okay.

We fly back towards the wall of the city, but we’re both on high alert.

The guivres have gotten bolder in approaching city walls.

There’s a shout as we fly over the wall of the city, and I know they’re calling out to us to let us know they see us.

They probably saw the dragon fire and are calling out to see if we’re okay, but we just fly right past. I’m anxious to get back and make sure she’s uninjured.

The second we land, I scramble off her back.

Are you hurt anywhere? Guivres may be cursed, but they still retain their dragon fire from the dragon kingdom, and it’s just as deadly as Redara’s fire.

I’m fine.

Did it get you anywhere? I ask.

Redara scoffs. Of course not.