He pointed to the opening that led back to the palace. Shadows flitted about in the river. More water dragons. Coming for them.
“That’s my cue to head back,” Ferdi said. “Unlike Mele, I don’t have a choice over whether to stay or go. But I promise I’ll delay them as much as I can. And I won’t tell them where you’ve gone. When you hear a story someday about how Prince Ferdi tried to capture the traitor Silver Batal, know that I had to lie about my involvement. Think of me instead as the one who arranged for dozens of dancing men in water dragon masks to infiltrate the Winners’ Audience. That’s the me I like best.”
Silver reached a hand out to him. “Thank you, Ferdi,” she said, but the words didn’t feel enough for everything he’d done. The island prince nodded and flashed her one last smile before turning back the way they’d all come.
“Mele, let’s go,” Silver said firmly.
“But my Shorsa can’t fly. How—”
“Leave that to me,” Silver said. “Now come on!”
The three water dragons and their riders fled against the river current. They swam for an hour, at least, glancing over their shoulders regularly. The river caves were dark, except when they passed a well. Then, a weak light pricked the blackness. Still, they didn’t stop. They passed more than a dozen wells before they felt safe enough to venture toward the surface.
“Try this one,” Mele said as they came upon an opening in a sidewall of the river cave. Through it, a small stream poured into the main cave, joining the river on its way to the royal city.
“I’ll make sure it’s clear,” Brajon said.
He got off Hiyyan and crept to the opening, then disappeared. Silver held her breath. It was possible the royal guards had been sent to the orchards to hunt them down. She strained to hear something. A yell, signs of a struggle. But then Brajon popped his head back into the cave and grinned.
“It’s clear.”
Silver released her breath. The water dragons pushed forward, out of the opening, and they were greeted by the night’s friendly moon and a sky freckled with stars.
FIFTY
Silver tightened one last knot on Kirja’s wing joint. “Does this hurt?” she asked the old water dragon.
Kirja moved her wing in a slow circle, then grunted softly. Silver glanced at Mele. They all hurt, at least a little bit. Brajon had popped Silver’s dislocated shoulder back into place, but she was still nursing her sliced arm, plus numerous cuts, bumps, and bruises.
Still, they were alive. And they had Kirja.
“Let’s give it a try, then,” Silver said.
Mele looked at the hammock skeptically. “Are you sure it’s going to hold?”
“Nebekker taught me this scale weave,” Silver said proudly. “And this racing suit fabric is strong. As long as Luap doesn’t fall out, it’ll work. I promise.”
Silver had made many promises on her journey, and they each still meant something to her. Once they’d reached the Jaspaton oasis and returned Kirja to Nebekker, she’d have made good on all of them, too.
“I wish we had time to test it,” Silver said, “but Sagittaria will be sending guards to Jaspaton as we speak. We have to get there before they do. Climb on.”
Despite her confident words, she chewed her lip as she watched Luap slither into the wool hammock. The Shorsa was one of the smallest breeds she knew of, but Luap was still several heads taller than Silver and many, many pounds heavier. As Silver climbed on Hiyyan’s back and looked over at Brajon and Mele on Kirja’s back, she pushed doubt away.
With her hands curled around Hiyyan’s mane and the stars winking at her as if they shared a secret, Silver merged her thoughts with Hiyyan’s. Let’s fly.
The earth fell away as they joined the night sky. Wind rushed through Silver’s short waves. She closed her eyes, the smell of the vast desert overwhelming her until her throat was choked with tears. She was finally going home.
Between them, Luap was indeed well supported by the hammock. Hiyyan and Kirja took turns beating their wings in the space between, so that they wouldn’t hit each other. Silver could almost reach out to touch Brajon and Mele.
“How did it feel to win today, cousin?” Brajon asked. “We haven’t had time to celebrate.”
“You won with confidence,” Mele said before Silver could reply. “You both looked like champions out there. Left poor Prince Ferdi and Hoonazoor in the dust.”
“Thank you, Mele.” Silver felt her cheeks go pink. “Did you watch all the races?”
Mele shook her head. “As many as I could. My way of saying good-bye. I wasn’t planning on meeting back up with you.” She shrugged. “Then again, I wasn’t planning on ever leaving Calidia on the back of an Aquinder, with Luap beside me. It’s strange wondering what will come next.”
Silver understood Mele’s words keenly.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen next, either,” Silver admitted. “I hope Nebekker has a plan.”
Silver took stock of their injuries. Kirja had a battered wing, and a lump was growing on Brajon’s forehead. Hiyyan’s neck still oozed shiny blood and, for the first time, Silver noticed a strange discoloration in his wing, right where the cave beast had ripped a tear. He hadn’t complained. He hadn’t complained about his injuries, but she felt whispers of his pain.
Brajon gave her his big, lopsided grin. “I’m really proud of you. You’re a natural. Destined for this life.”
Silver touched her water dragon burn. Destiny. And dreams. Two things that had carried her this far. But how long could they last, when Sagittaria Wonder and the queen and all the unimaginable forces at their fingertips were after her and Hiyyan and Kirja? Where would she go? Was there anywhere in the entire vast desert she could hide? Nebekker had tried to hide, and Sagittaria had flushed her out like a desert hawk seeking prey.
A face flashed in Silver’s mind. An island boy who had turned out to be a prince. He had helped them once. Perhaps there was a place for them somewhere in the Island Nations.
“You’ve changed,” Brajon said to her.
Silver knew it was true. She’d grown stronger and more graceful. Hiyyan had changed, too. He was bigger than Kirja, and still growing. His awkward baby-dragon flopping had grown into a gracefulness of his own. But there was still so much more for them to learn. Silver wanted to know the limits of her communication with her Aquinder. She wanted them to practice racing and flying. And to explore the world together.
First, she had to figure out how to make the world accept Aquinder.
“Look!” Brajon pointed to a spot in the distance.
Silver squinted. Far ahead, a vertical light challenged the luster of the stars.
Home.
“That’s Jaspaton,” Brajon told Mele. “Where we’re from.”
Mele, her arms securely around Brajon’s waist, craned her neck. “It’s so tall. Taller than Calidia. I didn’t know there was a city bigger than that in the desert.”
“It’s not bigger. It’s much smaller,” Silver said. “It’s just carved into the side of a cliff, so all its residents can look out over the desert and marvel at its beauty.” A pang of homesickness stabbed her in the chest.
As they got closer, she could make out the different levels of homes and shops. She could see the lanterns at the stairs, lit for those moving up and down the city. She could see the Jaspatonian flags fluttering from the politicians’ homes at the very top of the cliff.
She’d missed Jaspaton so much; she could hardly wait to step foot in her home city.
But first, they had to visit Nebekker.
It was as though the old woman, hiding far underground, were a beacon. When they got close to the oasis, Kirja became frantic. She roared into the night, her tail swishing back and forth mightily.