Chapter 29: Chapter 29

The library had a large map spread on a table over by the window where there was more light, even though the red glow from outside didn’t help illuminate the parchment drawing much. Slate lit several lanterns, including a low chandelier hanging from the ceiling. He would have to be careful not to hit his head on it as he leaned over the table, he was so tall, and it was so low over the map spread out for them to look at, but then, Nya had the feeling he had maneuvered in this position many times before. At her height, there was no risk of her hitting her head or catching her hair on fire from the multiple candles, the melted sides showing they’d been used for many years.

Slate hovered above the map, looking down at it for several minutes while Nya’s eyes oscillated between the map and the man staring at it. It was clear to her that the map showed all of the surrounding kingdoms from the mountain range they were inside of all the way to the far eastern border of Beelzanborg, a five days’ ride by horseback on even the speediest of horses. She knew the dragon could cover that distance much quicker, but she had no idea how long it would take for him to get there or exactly where he’d want to fly to. The castle in Beelzanborg, a large fortress known as The Dark Castle because it was made almost entirely out of black stone, not to mention the fact that it jetted out of the mountainside like a large, twisted, black thorn, was nearer the eastern, central area of the kingdom. She was certain the king who had commanded its creation a few hundred years ago had picked that location because of the large body of water located on the eastern side of the kingdom. The cliffs were a natural deterrent to attack, and the next kingdom to the east was located far away across the sea.

Nya waited patiently for Slate to say something, when the silence became unbearable, she finally said, “What are you thinking?”

He sighed and ran his hand down his chin, his fingers coming together where just a bit of stubble had begun to grow already, though she assumed he must’ve shaved not long ago since they’d only been up a few hours.

“Well,” he began, studying the map. “It should be safe for me to fly all the way from here over the Kingdom of Dunderin, over the northwestern mountains that are the border of Beelzanborg, but then, after that, there’s a lot of forest land, and if there are troops located there to watch for an invasion, they will most certainly see us before we see them.”

“So… what if we landed near the foot of the mountain and made the rest of the trip on foot?” Nya asked, studying how far that appeared to be.

Slate shifted from one foot to the other, stepping over to that side of the table closer to the spot on the map they were currently discussing. “It would be a long journey, over forests, across deep rivers, and over uneven terrain. It would take us at least three days on foot. Of course, we could do some alternating between walking and flying if we’re certain we aren’t detected and to cross those rivers.”

Nya thought he was beginning to settle on a solution for how to get to the castle, but that began a new set of problems. “And once we reach the castle?”

“We’d have to fly in from above the mountain range. We’d have to wait until complete darkness in order to be as undetectable as possible.”

“Well, you know when the moon will be down better than anyone,” she reminded him.

Slate stared at her for a moment, contemplating a response. “Cloud cover would also work,” he replied, curtly. “Once we’re in the castle, I’ll be completely reliant on you. We’ll have to keep in mind, also, that we’re not there to take the gem. We just want to find it so we can come back later with our full forces to extract it.”

Nya nodded, even though she had a different plan in mind. She knew the power of the gem, that you didn’t have to take it out of Beelzanborg in order to command it, you only had to possess it. She was certain that he knew that, too, but he probably didn’t want her to know that if she didn’t already.

“All right then,” Nya said with a sigh. “When shall we leave then?”

Slate folded one arm under his elbow and stroked his chin again, obviously doing some calculations. When he spoke, it was with resolve. “We’ll leave tomorrow evening, at dusk. That will give us enough time to reach the far border of Dunderin before sun up. Then, we can take a rest and determine when best to resume our flight.”

Nya nodded. It wasn’t exactly what she was hoping to hear. She wanted to leave that very night. But she understood that he had obligations he’d need to sort out before they left. “Very well,” she said. “In the meantime, would you like me to continue to beat the asses of your best weapons, or shall I take a break in the library?”

Slate glared at her but then shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe her. “You go ahead and do whatever you’d like, Princess. Just be sure you’re ready to go whenever it’s time to do so.”

“Oh, I’m ready to go now,” she said, giving him a self-assured smile. He continued to shake his head, and Nya turned and walked out of the room, satisfied that she’d be in a position to possess the Heart of Magic within the next few days. After that, she’d have to figure out what to do with it--give it to the dragon, or keep it for herself.

***

Flying on the back of a dragon would never get old. Even though Nya was slightly nervous at being so high up in the sky, with very little to hold on to, by the time she’d been situated on Slate’s dragon’s back for a few hours, she’d gotten used to the thrilling feel of soaring over the forest and mountains below her. She squeezed her legs tightly around his neck, usually holding on with her hands as well, pressed against his slick scales, but from time to time, she couldn’t help but let go with one hand at a time and feel the air moving around her. Long blonde braids billowed out behind her, and the feeling of the wind blowing through her hair was invigorating like nothing she’d ever experienced before.

The stars above her seemed even brighter this close to them than they ever had from her bedroom window at the castle. The moon was low in the sky, and she had a feeling Slate would want to land before it illuminated them too much, even though he was flying higher than usual so that it would be more difficult to spot them. They were flying over a kingdom that contributed to the Dragon Moon celebrations and would be for most of the night, but there was no reason to alarm the people beneath them and make them think that the dragon flying overhead was looking for more prey, if it could be avoided.

After several hours, Nya was growing weary of sitting in the same position. When Slate began to slowly taper his angle so that he was gradually getting closer to the ground, she was relieved that they might actually be landing soon. She had no idea what time it was or exactly how long they’d been flying, but she thought it might be about time for the sun to start coming up.

The tops of the trees seemed so close, she thought she could reach her hand out and brush their leaves. The closer they got, the more Slate had to bend his wings to keep from brushing against the stretching branches of the forest. He glided between the trees, tipping from side to side but always careful not to upset Nya and send her toppling to the ground.

The pair came to a clearing in the forest, and Slate gently set his feet on the ground, coming to a gradual stop so that Nya wasn’t jarred at all. Once she was certain he was done, she pulled one leg from around him, groaning at the sore muscle, and then lowered herself down so that she was standing next to him. She stretched her arms and shifted her weight on each leg, trying to work out the tension she’d built from sitting the same way for so long. After a moment, she stepped clear of him so that he could shift back into his human form.

It took only a matter of seconds for Slate to turn from his dragon form into his human form. Nya tried not to gawk at him as he did so. Even though she’d seen him do it a few times now, it still surprised her every time she saw him do it. How such a large, powerful creature shrank its form so completely was astounding to her. By human standards, Slate was a huge beast of a man, but he was nothing compared to the huge dragon.

Just like Nya, he had to stretch a bit. He looked weary as well. Nya had no idea how hard flying was compared to walking, but she imagined it was more difficult than it looked. “How are you?” he asked her after spending a few minutes stretching his tight muscles.

“Good,” Nya said. “And you?”

“Tired,” he said with a smile. She nodded in understanding.

Nya carried a bag with their provisions strapped to her back. She took it off and slung it around so that she could get out a canteen of water, which she handed to him. She had another for herself. She’d drank a little through the flight but didn’t want to have to ask him to stop so she could relieve herself. Now, she drank deeply, her stomach rumbling in hunger as well.

“Let’s set up camp here for now,” Slate said, looking around at where they had stopped. “The sun will be up soon. We can make a fire and get some rest.”

“All right,” Nya agreed. “How far are we from Beelzanborg?”

“Not far,” he said, looking off in the distance. “We should be able to make it in tomorrow evening,” he said.

Nya nodded, not sure how she felt about that. Was she ready to go forward with this plan? She wasn’t even sure what she was going to do once she had the gem yet.

Setting the bag aside, she said, “I’ll gather up some wood for a fire.”

“I’ll make the fire,” he said, making her laugh. It wasn’t particularly cold outside, but the comfort of a fire would definitely help her sleep. She wasn’t afraid of anyone stumbling upon them, out there where they were, far from the Beelzanborg border but close enough that no one else would dare get close. Besides, she was fairly certain she and Slate could handle just about anyone who would try to attack them, especially if he were able to shift at will.

Nya spent a few minutes gathering up fallen timbers and logs and brought them back to the clearing, dropping them in the middle of the spot they’d chosen. Then, she stood back for him to start the fire. Even without shifting into his dragon form, Slate was able to raise his hand and send a burst of flame out into the air, catching the logs on fire immediately. The fire was high, red and purple flames licking into the sky, for just a few seconds before it settled down and began a nice, even burn.

Taking her bag, Nya found a spot beneath a large tree and dug for something to eat. She grabbed an apple and a bit of bread and cheese before she handed the bag to Slate who was sitting under the tree next to hers. He thanked her and found the meat they’d wrapped and placed in the bag before they’d left his home.

Nya tried not to stare at him, but it was difficult. The more time she spent with him, the more her thoughts lingered on just how handsome he was. Even sitting beneath a tree in the middle of the forest, dots of perspiration springing up along his hairline, chewing on a piece of meat, he was by far the most attractive man she’d ever seen.

As far as she knew, though, he thought of her only as an annoying princess who showed up and disrupted his best laid plans. Occasionally, she thought she saw his eyes lingering on her a bit longer than necessary, maybe even dropping below her neck to other parts of her anatomy that didn’t require studying. She didn’t want to think there was a chance that he might actually be interested in her romantically, though. If there was even a hint of a chance of that, it would make her decision harder, once she had the Heart of Magic in her hands.

Slate finished his food, took another swig from his canteen, and asked, “Would you like to sleep first or keep watch first?”

Nya was surprised they would take turns sleeping since she felt so safe where they were in the woods. She glanced around and then met his dark eyes. He had done most of the work. It only made sense that she should stay up first, even though she could feel exhaustion setting in. She’d tried to sleep the day before, but it had been difficult with so much going on and it not being night outside. “I’ll stay up first,” she said.

Slate gave her a thankful smile and then said, “I won’t need to sleep long.”

She returned the smile, and he sank down, rolling onto his side so he was looking away from her. Nya took a deep breath and tried not to stare at his muscular back. Soon, his breathing began to even out, and she knew he was asleep.

Pulling her eyes away, she focused on the dancing flames of the fire and wondered if those soldiers of Beelzanborg defending the Heart of Magic had any idea what they were about to face. The flames that danced before her were created by magic, a magic the man sleeping next to her embodied. If he was given the opportunity, he could reduce every single one of the soldiers to the tiny pieces of gray ash floating on the wind. She watched as a fleck of burned log was caught by the breeze, lifted into the sky, and dropped onto the ground where it dissolved into nothingness. In her mind, she wished the same fate upon anyone who might stand in their way.