Authors: Paulette Miller
He reached up and caressed her cheek. “You have no idea how much I want our situation to be different. In another place and time, I know we would’ve been meant to be together forever. Even though we’re not to be, I’ll love you forever. You need to know that I’ll always be there to protect you.” He knew he would never be able to love another with the same passion that he felt for Tianna.
She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his touch one more time. She then exhaled, opened her eyes, and stood. She walked back to camp with Nathaniel trailing behind her.
As they all sat by the fire after evening meal, Gabriel retrieved a small pouch from his pocket. He pulled out a very small piece of Tianna’s cut hair and tossed it into the fire to see what would happen. Everyone was knocked backwards as a pulse of power hit them and the fire went from small, controlled flames to flares of fire that shot out in every direction.
Gabriel brushed himself off, putting out small fires on his clothes. Others were making the same movements, but it seemed everyone was basically uninjured. He said, “Okay, maybe burning her hair isn’t a good idea.” He looked at his brothers. “Options?”
They discussed alternatives, including burying it, but Tianna didn’t like the idea of someone possibly digging it up and finding it. None of the options were acceptable so they agreed to let Marcus keep it safely hidden and bring it back to Haven. He was going to let the elders try to find a safe way to dispose of it.
In the middle of the night, Tianna woke and lay staring up at the stars. A voice entered her mind, “
Kitten, I’m waiting for you and my body craves your touch. Come to me now so that we can complete our union and I can make you mine forever
.”
She knew he was trying to pull her into a dream. She felt his draw and her mark burned as her pulse sped. As if sensing her need, as he always did, Nathaniel’s arms instantly appeared around her. She accepted his assistance and snuggled into his embrace, grabbing his hand and pressing it tight to her stomach. Nathaniel surrounded her body with his and, when he willed his blue fire, Kai’s voice was abruptly silenced.
It took two more days to reach the outer edge of the Valley of Fire, the home of the stronghold Haven.
Tianna glanced up and saw the size of the mountains that blocked their path into the valley. “How will we get in? If we have to go over the mountains, we’ll be on the trail for several more weeks.”
Marcus said, “We aren’t going up, we’re going through.”
Tianna was confused. “Is there a cave or a tunnel that we ride through?” She shivered at the thought. She didn’t want to go underground where the Dregg lived.
Seth could feel her fear and smiled. “Don’t worry. We aren’t going underground. We’ll be taking the Kaerkwood Gap.” When his announcement still left Tianna with a completely confused look, he explained. “It’s a magical passage. When we approach the gap, our dragon marks will start to burn. The magic is checking to make sure we belong in the valley. If the magic accepts us, the mountain will appear to split in half and a small narrow passage will appear. It’ll take us most of the day to make it through the gap but we’ll emerge in the valley.”
Tianna’s fear now shifted from Dregg to uncertainty whether the magic would recognize her. She had begun to accept that she wasn’t human, but she also knew that she was only part dragon. She feared she wouldn’t be enough Draak to enter the gap.
When they approached the base of the mountain that held the gap, Tianna felt a tingling in her Black Dragon mark. Since it was similar to the feeling she felt when she approached a magical village, she hoped that the sensation was a good sign. They all stopped and waited, gazing up into a simmering mist. After several minutes when nothing happened, Tianna noticed Marcus start to fidget in his saddle.
She cursed to herself knowing the magic wasn’t going to let them in as long as she was with them, so she announced, “You all go on without me. I’ll try to go over the mountain and meet you on the other side.”
They all twisted abruptly in their saddles and glared at her. Gabriel was the first to speak. “We aren’t leaving your side.”
She pointed at the mist. “But the magic doesn’t recognize me. Nathaniel is right. I’m not Draak enough.”
Nathaniel growled quietly and opened his mouth to argue, but then closed it again.
Marcus saw the mist starting to clear and said, “See Tianna. You are Draak. The gap is opening.” He sighed with relief.
Gabriel walked his horse around so he was now positioned behind Tianna. He gave her horse a swat saying, “Get going little dragon. I want us in Haven tomorrow morning.”
As they traveled through the gap, the riders all remained quiet but gradually relaxed, except for Tianna. She kept feeling like the gap was going to close up on her and bury her for being a trespasser. To get her mind on something else, she focused on her fellow travelers. When she glanced over at Marcus, she not only noticed his somber mood, she could feel distress. She desperately needed a distraction so she decided to go talk to him.
She sped up until she rode directly on his side and asked, “Are you okay?” When he didn’t respond, she called to him a little louder, “Marcus?”
Marcus jumped. He was deep in thought and hadn’t heard Tianna approach. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking.”
“About what? Aren’t you excited about seeing your family?”
He nodded. “I’m thrilled beyond words. I miss Sharay and Isabella so much that I’m having a difficult time breathing.”
“Then what’s the issue?” Although Tianna asked the question, she had a very good idea what the problem was.
He didn’t really want to say out loud what he was thinking but he had stressed the importance of honesty within their group. He sighed and began to explain. “I’ve failed the quest. I’ve never returned without fulfilling a Seer’s command.”
Seth overheard the conversation and trotted forward. When he was on the other side of Marcus, he asked, “When we’re successful at a task, the Seer can give us a mark. What does she do when we fail?” Seth had very few marks on his body. He rubbed the spot on his shirt where his mark lay hidden. “She doesn’t take a mark away, does she?” He would be devastated if he lost his dragon mark.
Marcus pondered on this for a moment. He had never faced this situation before, and he couldn’t recall anyone else speaking of what the Seer did to her people when she was angry at them. He answered Seth as honestly as he could. “I don’t know, but fear not, young dragon. The blame starts and ends with me. I’m the leader of this quest. Any punishment given will be mine and mine alone.”
Gabriel spoke from behind the group, refusing to leave his post of protecting them from behind. “The Seer is powerful but she isn’t vengeful. I truly believe that she’ll listen to our changed circumstances.”
Tianna knew Gabriel was referring to her. Finding her had interrupted their travels and forced them to return to Haven empty handed. She became somber and said to Marcus, “Blame it on me since that would be the truth. If you hadn’t met me, you would still be on your quest. Maybe you would’ve found your warrior by now and, if she needs to take someone’s mark as punishment, let her take my Black Dragon mark. She can take it with my blessing.”
She hung her head and added in a whisper, “Everyone would’ve been better off if I hadn’t come into the picture.”
She forgot that Draaks had excellent hearing. Gabriel growled and Nathaniel snarled, knowing the comment was directed more at him.
Marcus gave Tianna a look and said, “As I’ve said before, you’re the best thing that happened to us on this trip. You’re very important, I think more important than any of us realize. I don’t regret shifting our quest to bring you home. I’ll be proud to enter Haven with you by my side.”
Tianna nodded, knowing there was no point to arguing. None of them would see things her way. In her mind she contemplated on what she would do if the Seer actually tried to punish any of her protectors. She wouldn’t allow this and was prepared to throw herself at the Seer’s mercy.
They continued on through the gap in relative silence. To Tianna, it felt like they had been traveling through the gap for days. She nearly leapt out of her saddle when she saw the end of the gap ahead. The pace for all of the riders, including Tianna, dramatically increased as they approached their long awaited exit.
Once Tianna was safely out of the gap, her pulse slowed and she took a moment to gaze at her surroundings. The valley was deep and long, lined on both sides by tall mountains whose peaks were lost in the clouds. There was a river snaking through the base of the valley. Everything was deep green with thick, dense forest. Steep cliffs were the base foundation for many of the mountains. These cliffs were made from multi-colored rock in hues of red and orange. There were low clouds and mist that hung throughout the valley just above the river. When the setting sun hit the walls, the cliff’s colors reflected off of the mist, making the valley appear to be on fire.
Tianna was so taken by the sight, she stopped her horse and froze. Soon the distance grew between her and those traveling ahead her. She jumped when Gabriel touched her arm. He had sat on his horse patiently waiting while she took in the sight. He said, “We’re getting behind—we should catch up with the others.”
She snapped out of her visual trace and galloped forward until she rejoined the group.
They all wanted to continue on to Haven, but Marcus insisted that they stop for the night. He didn’t want them traveling in the dark. Once they picked a location for their last camp, Tianna put the protection spell in place. With Haven so close, they all spent a restless night.
At first light, everyone was up and ready to complete their journey. Even Marcus’ spirits were up. He just wanted to see his mate and hold her in his arms.
As they progressed forward, Tianna could feel the mix of emotions coming from her traveling companions. There was excitement for returning home but also the apprehension of admitting failure to the Seer. Right now, excitement seemed to be winning the battle as Haven was calling them home.
Tianna wished she was as excited. She feared that she was going to yet another place that she wouldn’t call home. The nights she was forced to stay with Nathaniel ignited feelings she was trying to suppress. She knew that once in Haven’s walls, Raven would be waiting for him and Tianna would never feel Nathaniel’s arms around her again. She knew she still loved him and the thought made the pain in her heart grow stronger.
Once they rode out of a grove of trees, Tianna stared up at an extremely large mountain with exceptionally steep, rocky cliffs surrounding its base. Marcus stopped with longing in his eyes and said, “Haven.” He said it like he was referring to a lover. All the other Draaks had similar looks on their faces.
Tianna scanned all around, but she saw no great village of stone. She asked anxiously, “Where is it? I don’t see it.”
Gabriel turned toward Tianna. “Like the other magical villages, our home is also shrouded.”
Tianna had been feeling an odd sensation, but it was so different to the other magical villages, she was brushing it off as something else.
“Do you feel her draw?” Seth said with his eyes closed. “It’s almost as if I can hear her call.”
Tianna closed her eyes and concentrated. She could feel something pulling her. It didn’t seem to be as strong as with the Draaks around her, but it was there.
Marcus began to move forward at a trot toward home. They all followed and kept pace. They stopped again when they were within 20 paces of the base of a cliff. Tianna was now feeling the draw and was desperately searching for a way to get into the stronghold. She called out, “Do I need to do magic to make it appear?”
Marcus answered, “No, we have this one. A dragon mark is the key.” He opened his shirt just enough to expose his mark. He closed his eyes and concentrated, as the eyes on his Violet Dragon mark began to glow brightly. Tianna’s mark started to burn. It wasn’t painful but it did make her rub it. Soon the view around them changed and she gasped, seeing an arched gate entrance to a cave up ahead that was nothing but a rock wall moments before.
Marcus glanced over at Tianna saying, “Even we Draaks have some magic.” He laughed and rode quickly toward the gate with his warriors at his side.
Tianna held back to let the others race ahead and they yelled at her to hurry up. She knew how anxious they were to be home since it had been almost a year since they had left on their quest, but knowing she had to enter a cave made her nervous. “Go ahead, I’ll catch up,” she yelled back.