Phoenix Gift

Chapter Seventeen

“Easy boy,” Xavier patted his horse to calm it. “It’s all right. Easy boy.”

Nervous shudders continued through the equine as it rolled its eyes toward the sand dunes and kept its ears flat against its neck. The stallion snorted and stamped a foot but held its ground.

“Alexis, are you all right?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “What is the matter with Aleronborak Hinum?”[1]

“Sinking sand,” Xavier muttered. He turned to the rest of the group. “We camp here tonight and find a way to cross tomorrow.”

They pitched camp along the narrow belt of sickly grass separating the forest from the desert. Night came sooner than expected. Their fires struggled against the growing dark and creeping fog. Heaviness seemed to overcome them and most forgot the importance of their mission, wishing only to leave this depressing place. Even the stars and moon appeared subdued.

Sleep did not come readily, and they woke exhausted. Only Alexis seemed unaffected, humming as she finished her morning meal. Afterward, they were slow to pack their supplies while Xavier, Park and the wizards debated the best way to cross.

“Do you remember how Akina crossed?” Park asked.

“She never told me exactly how it was done,” Xavier shook his head. “She said she followed the firelights.”

“Well, I don’t see any firelights out there,” Park sighed, glancing over his shoulder at the silent expanse.

With a screech, Cadmus suddenly bolted between their legs, scampering toward the sand.

“Cadmus!” Alexis called, running after him.

“Alexis, no!” Xavier ran after her. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her back and picked her up before she reached the forbidding sand.

Cadmus ran on, undeterred. He stopped and blasted flames on the unstable ground. They watched as the sand continued to burn. Growling, Cadmus sniffed around the beacon. Eja leapt from Tavel’s shoulder to join him. Together they scampered further from safety and blasted the sand again. Like before, the sand burned.

“Follow the firelights,” Park repeated. “Do you think?”

“We should hurry,” Xavier nodded. “Wear your heavy cloaks. We’ll need them.”

Cadmus and Eja sniffed around their fire while the others prepared to leave. They donned their traveling cloaks and climbed into their saddles. Alexis sat in the wagon, next to Natalia, where she would be safer than riding with her father. Xavier urged his horse to the edge of the sand.

Pegasus Wind’s ears flicked back and forth as the stallion faced the uncertain ground for a second time. Hesitating, the equine reluctantly stepped forward at Xavier’s urging. The sand remained firm under the horse’s weight. Still trembling, it continued forward, testing the ground as it went.

Looking back, Xavier signaled the others to follow. Park’s horse balked but eventually followed. One horse after another formed a line behind the leaders. Once the others were on the move, Cadmus and Eja growled and ran on, spitting flames as they went. The sand burned wherever they flamed.

The moment all the party entered the desert clouds gathered and released a ceaseless shower upon them. Xavier grimaced, pulling the hood of his cloak over his head. The mountains disappeared in the drizzle and the company huddled in their cloaks for warmth. Despite the constant downpour, the sand remained dry and burned with the dragons’ breath. Cadmus and Eja continued to chase the invisible quarry, oblivious to the rain.

Day and night were the same. The only measure of time was when Alexis finally fell asleep. They were forced to camp one night beside a stray tree trunk still stubbornly rooted to the ground. All around, dead land stretched out from them, and they tired of looking at the colorless landscape.

Gradually, the land rose, and they crested a hill. Immediately, the clouds broke, and the moon emerged. The hill sloped toward the foot of the mountains. Gray-green grass surrounded them and grew against the solid rock face that marked the beginning of the mountains. Cadmus and Eja rolled about in the grass, having lost the scent again.

Xavier led them to the bottom of the hill where they pitched camp. In the fading light, they found the remains of straggly, dead trees. With the bleached wood, they managed to build a cooking fire. After a cheerless meal, bewildered by their sudden escape from the dreary plain, they slept.

Alexis was the first to awaken and greet the pale morning. She played with the dragons as the others woke to discuss their situation over a meager meal. There appeared to be no pass or stair to scale the rock face, despite the one promised in Alexis’s song. Aldous was still too waterlogged to fly.

“They are called the Teeth of the South,” Tavel said, staring up at the towering heights.

“But how do we cross them and enter the valley?” Park asked. He believed the name of their obstacle was not as important as the solution to their problem.

“That, I do not know,” Tavel shook his head. Only his sister knew the secret way.

“What happened to this place?” Natalia looked at the gray grass, then nodded back toward the desert. She was more worried about their return trip than the mountains yet to cross.

“According to the Fay Folk on Milagros, goblins came with weapons forged in dragon fire,” Xavier answered, remembering the story Akina told him. “They destroyed the Fay and a once beautiful meadow.”

“Yes,” M’zuzi nodded. “The gray grass is a sign that the land is recovering. It will be a long time before it is completely healed, countless Fay Years in fact.”

While the adults talked, Alexis and the dragons continued running around the camp. Climbing the hill, she rolled down the carpet of strange grass. Cadmus and Eja followed, tumbling after her until she came to a stop. At the bottom of the hill, the dragons tensed. They growled and scampered ahead. Curious, Alexis followed them. Her disappearance went unnoticed by the distracted adults.

The dragons led Alexis toward the tall rock wall where it curved away from the plain. Rounding a boulder, they stumbled onto the base of an old stair. The steps hewn out from the solid rock, invisible from all directions, save directly at their feet. The slightest detour made it disappear into the rock face it followed. Hesitating only long enough to sniff the first step, the dragons climbed higher, searching for something they seemed to have lost. Alexis followed, climbing higher than either of the dragons.

“Kwende Cadmus, Eja,” Alexis encouraged. “Let’s explore.”

The dragons followed, pouncing on one another as they went. Eventually tiring of the game, they hurried ahead of Alexis. Neither dragon seemed to consider the use of its wings. At times, they paused and waited for her to catch up with them. When Alexis began to tire, she found bread and fruit placed on one of the steps next to a flask of water.

She rested and ate on the step, throwing each dragon a bit of bread and fruit, which they hesitantly ate, growling at its scent. Having rested, she continued climbing higher. Half the day gone, they finally reached the top of the steps. In front of them was the wide mouth of a dark cave.

“Do you think we should go in?” Alexis looked at the dragon pair.

Cadmus and Eja barked, dashing into the cave. Alexis hesitated, listening to the echo of their grunts and clicks. Cadmus returned a few moments later, wagging his tail, and barked. Standing, Alexis followed. If the dragons thought it safe, then it must be.

Enough light filtered into the cave to reveal the jagged silhouettes of rock formations rising out of the ground and dropping from the dark ceiling. The air was damp; smelling faintly of rot, but the floor was dry. Small rocks crunched under her boot heels. Sounds echoed from unseen walls. The slightest noise was strange to her ears. As she went, Alexis sensed she was gradually moving downhill. Suddenly, light poured into the cave, and they found themselves on the edge of a vibrant green valley.

“I wonder where we are,” Alexis said aloud. “It is very pretty.”

The dragons chirped, hurrying toward the forest. Birds filled the air with song as if to greet the visitors. Leaves rustled in a gentle breeze. Small blue and white flowers grew along the dappled forest floor. If the growth was not as vibrant as that on Milagros, it was certainly still rich in life.

Then the songs abruptly stopped. Though the sun still shined on the green trees, life suddenly seemed to have fled. Alexis began to worry for the first time since she started her unplanned adventure. Cadmus barked a warning.

She froze, listening to the oppressively quiet forest. Faintly, she heard the drumming of hoof beats. A feeling of dread came over her though she did not know why. Huddled on the ground, she gathered the dragons in her lap. She wished her father would come and make the hoof beats go away just as he rescued her when the ship passed through the magical barrier. Cadmus and Eja squirmed in her arms. Sensing her fear, they were eager to defend her against the unknown threat.

Nearby, a raven settled on a branch. It watched the trio huddled in the bushes. Alexis looked up at the soft rustle of feathers. Wide-eyed, she stared, but sensed no threat from the large, black bird. Tilting its head, it caught the sound of the approaching hoof beats. Blinking, the raven took wing, flying out of sight.

They heard its hoarse call in the distance. The hoof beats stopped. Then they heard the bellow of a large creature as it crashed through the undergrowth in the direction of the raven’s call.