Chapter 29: Chapter 29

SILVER

Flying through the fog is almost like flying blind. However, I manage to make it to the top of the rocky canyon where it’s a little flat, and the surroundings are anything but.

My talons crunch into the snow and cobbles as Summer hangs from my fangs. I don’t want to drop her on the cold ground where her feet might freeze off.

As I glance around through the quickly flying wind and fog, I sometimes see glimpses of the mountains around us, jutting out, so sharp and steep. Impossible to climb.

Only flying creatures can reach the peaks of the towering rock pillars.

“This is not what I had in mind!” Summer yells out at me, and she already sounds severely affected by the abrupt change in temperature. Her voice is chilly, and she is filled with fear of the unknown.

I myself am both awed by and terrified of this new landscape.

~“Just wait, princess,”~ I reassure her that any moment we will be intercepted by our Dragon Lords.

I’m not worried about the repercussions just yet, because I just want Storm to come through and feel like he is home.

And since that part of the plan hasn’t changed, I am now trying to plan my next move.

My eyes narrow, and I see a familiar black-scaled beast solidify a few hundred meters away. Dane closes his wings and hurries forward while I wait for him to retrieve Summer.

~“Relax; you can have her,”~ I tease him as he approaches with haste.

~“Since when did you become so bratty, Silver?”~ Dane snarls at me in return as he closes the distance, growling as he snaps Summer up in his mouth.

She screams as she lands on his tongue, trapped between his large teeth. ~“I am keeping you warm, Princess—don’t be so ungrateful. Silver, follow us back to safety.”~

~“You are no longer my Dragon Lord, and I have an important plan to follow through, so don’t worry about me.~

~“Just remember to hold your breath before you enter back into the lake,”~ I advise a disgruntled Dane, who quickly retreats from the frozen lands of the Tempest mountain ranges after pausing to glare at me for a considerable amount of time.

His body disappears as he lunges back into the portal to the West Lands.

Once I am alone, I start to tread along the cobbles and the snow. I keep my head low as I walk through the snow while getting a feel for my surroundings.

Even in my scales, I am freezing and my vision is barely adjusting. I also keep my wings closed so the gale-force winds can’t rough me around so much.

~“Storm, if you’re here and you can hear me—this place is hideous.”~ I try to use a light tone. ~“It’s still home, but hideous. How could anyone willingly remain in this climate?”~

I do not get a reply, and I continue slowly treading the snow along the relatively flat, rocky area.

Eventually, I find a large boulder that I hop onto, to see if I can see anything else of interest in this land of gray and white only. Even the baby-blue sky is barely visible through the fog.

~“You know what? I’ll just guess your thoughts, Storm. You’re probably thinking I look just like a stray dog, confused about what way to turn next.~

~“You’re also thinking that I won’t get far trudging through snow and that I’m ill-advised and naive and stupid. There, I already had our conversation.”~

I keep speaking to myself to retain my inner peace while I am alone in this place.

I eventually sit back on the large boulder, because I don’t want to wander any farther. I look up, curious about the peaks of the mountains and the rock pillars. I see some glimpses.

Magnificent structures that withstand the wind. I almost get a hint of moon, but I could just be hopeful. It is very overcast—or maybe that is just the illusion of the fog.

I sit and wait, viewing the Tempest Lands with morbid curiosity. How many Dragons lived in this hellhole? How many mortals even survived?

~“Storm, hello?”~ I call out to him again as a slow dread starts to fill me. ~“Are you there? Did you come through the portal or not?”~

I start to feel a presence—and my eyes instinctively start searching for the eyes I feel on me. When I look up, I can see a quick glimpse of a shadow that I ignore.

But when my eyes scan back over the faraway shadow—it starts to mold into a huge Dragon form, sitting perched on one of the rock pillars—while gazing down at me.

The Dragon, although very far away and very high up, still appears to be massive in stature.

~“Storm?”~ I call out, but I get no reply. I sit still now, even though it’s hard to remain so when the wind is so chilly.

My eyes train in on the figure, which slowly opens its wings and pumps them high to lift into the air magnificently—and then the Dragon dives just as a wall of fog blocks my temporarily clear vision.

I’m frozen with fear. Because now I am being swooped on, and I can’t see the attack.

I can’t anticipate the moves the Dragon will make, either—because I have no idea how Dragons best navigate this kind of terrain and air pressure. However, I don’t stay in one spot.

I jump off the boulder and trudge my way through the snow, keeping low once again.

I find plenty of boulders ahead, so I quickly slither through the snow and then hide behind two of them. I curl up and wait, feeling fear consume me.

I feel like a lizard, trying to survive by slithering under some rocks.

I watch and wait, listening. But even as I try to anticipate the next move of the Dragon, I simply hear nothing but wind, and I see nothing but fog.

A good twenty minutes pass while I lie hidden and silent, not daring to reach out with a mental link.

When nothing new happens and I feel somewhat safe, I decide to exit my hiding area. The wind has also calmed down, just enough for me to see a little farther into the distance.

I spot caves in the nearby mountain, so I lock onto that sight, and I slither onward quickly.

I almost decide to fly, but then I settle with keeping low and camouflaged in the snow.

I hurry along, content as the first half of my attempt is uninterrupted.

It is the very moment that I feel confident—when I’m completely crushed into the snow.